


CYOA: Yeah, this was a smart idea

by wnelson001



Category: Worm - Wildbow
Genre: Bestiality, Canonical Character Death, Double Penetration, Exhibitionism, F/F, F/M, Group Sex, Mind Control, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Tentacle Sex, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-16 06:11:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 28
Words: 211,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4614204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wnelson001/pseuds/wnelson001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I should of learned my lesson about writing a CYOA after reading all the stories about them.  Then I showed my friend Kelsey the Worm universe and about the concept of CYOA and she was all in to writing a Worm CYOA story featuring the both of us.  Now here we are stuck in the Worm-verse suffering all the negative choices we made in making up our characters.  Now we just have to hope we can survive it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Story written in conjunction with Renallie from HF

I glanced at the clock. Nearly midnight... nearly midnight, and I hadn't gotten nearly what I needed to done yet. It was an involved process, one that I probably made harder on myself with strict rules regarding organization, alignment, and what exactly went where. Leaning back in my chair, I allowed myself to stretch for a moment, relax, and stare at the ceiling. Blank, boring plaster. But at least it wasn't my glowing monitor or the dull hum of the TV behind me. Neither were what I wanted to look at right now, but... work was work. And, I did enjoy it, for the most part.

I sighed as I straightened in my chair, pulling my feet up and tucking them under me, sliding my chair closer to my desk and grabbing my mouse. One click, and it brought up the list of about seven windows I had open in my word editor. I glanced down through the list, picking the document title I wanted, and it came to life before me. I glanced through it, making sure, once again, that I hadn't accidentally editted something without remembering it, and typed quickly, entering in the last few details I had picked out for my character sheet. Then, minimizing that window, I brought up a second document, copying the details from the prior into this, which had a cumulative list of the different characters I was bringing together for the story arc, and began to lay out the first rough elements of a rough outline.

Topic. Header. Brief description of the timeline. What was happening? Where? Which characters were involved, and which were aware of the happenings, but weren't present? Who was ignorant? A few minutes later, and I had a passable draft. A couple clicks later, and I was back into the main body, but there I paused, then put down a few short sentences:

_The sky was grey when I opened my eyes. Overcast, heavy, hinting at rain and wind. I groaned, and pushed myself to my feet. I hated days like today. All I wanted in life currently was to roll over, and go back to sleep. That was it. Nothing extravagant, right? Wrong. The watch on my wrist began to beep, and annoyed, I slapped it off, sat up, and scrubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands, yawning as I prepared for the day. It was going to be a long day..._

Not bad, I commended myself, saved the document, saved the others I had added information to, and climbed out of my chair, twisting around, my back popping as I stretched, my shorts sticking to my legs. It was hot, and my air conditioner wasn't working right—again. Damned piece of machinery. It almost made me envious of the character I had just written up. She could have fixed it, in a flash. Oh well. What makes life interesting if not challenges?

I staggered through my apartment, clicking the TV off and flicking the lights off, and collapsed face-first onto my bed. The last thought that drifted through my mind before I was asleep was _Ah, fuck. Dance lesson in the morning. I'm gonna be so sore..._

* * * * * * *

My very first thought as I awoke the next morning was not what one would expect. Rather, it was something unexpected entirely.

_Who am I? Where am I? What is that smell?_

I blinked, raising my head, and sniffed, eyes still closed. My pillow fell off my head, flopping to the floor, and as I stretched my hand out to find my glasses, I realized with a small bit of panic that my nightstand... nightstand? What nightstand? I rolled onto my back, confusion clouding my thoughts. I didn't have a nightstand. What on earth was wrong with my head? Even thinking about things too hard was giving me headache, making things swim in and out of focus. I groaned, and opened my eyes. Things were blurry, of course. They always were, without my glasses or contacts in. But I could immediately tell that things were off. They were not what they were supposed to be, and it was both disorienting, confusing, and severely jolting. Trying to remember  _why_ they were off was like driving a rail-road spike directly into my forehead, piercing my brain and shattering my will to even attempt to do such a thing. I fumbled about until I finally found my glasses on my headboard, and slipped them on, glancing around my room.

Everything was normal. Fine. This was my room. So why did it feel so alien, so strange? Like I was out of place, unsure of everything? I stood up, and looked around. My curtains were a plain grey, bordered with a dark purple. I loved purple. Nearly everything I owned either had purple on it, or was just plain purple. My sheets were a rich, dark purple, my blankets black and purple. My headboard was black metal framework with laminated purple wooden boards and cupboards for storage. My closet doors were purple, the trimwork around my room purple... everything was purple. I stood, and walked over to my mirror, raising my glasses to scrub the sleep from my eyes, and then dropping them back into place.

And nearly fell over. Standing in my mirror, looking back at me, was a small girl. Maybe about ten, possibly eleven years old. I was thin, a little on the short side, my chest flat, my t-shirt I had slept in scrunched and bunced around my waist, revealing my hips, bony, but wider than the usual stick-figure child-like figure... my legs were at least round, not like weird chicken legs or pure skin and bone. I had small feet, normal hands, long fingers... dexterous.  _Perfect for tinkering,_ I thought to myself, then blinked. Well, of course they were. That's what I did. Not that my parents approved. Well. Parent. My mom had never been in the picture and my dad, well. He didn't approve of anything I did. Was better not to talk about him. But the most jarring—jarring? Why was any of this jarring—feature were my eyes. Pale, unearthly green, with a soft, pale glow. I blinked again. Of course they were; they had been for years. That was the reason I'd modified my glasses, right? I reached up, and found the tiny little switch on the bottom of the frames, and flicked it with my nail, turning them on. The glow faded as you looked through my glasses at my eyes, and the color slowly darkened down to a natural brown. Normal eyes. Easy to broadcast the holographic image through the lenses. Easy enough, at least, for me.

I plucked at my little purple panties, and glanced down inside them, making sure everything was still there, still a girl.  _Still a girl? What the fuck is wrong with my head? FUCK?! Why am I thinking curse-words? Daddy would kill me if I said fuck... hehe. It's fun though. Fuck. Fuckityfuckityfuckfuckfuck._ I giggled aloud, then sniffed again, reminded that I had woken up to a particular smell. Pulling my shirt down, so it dropped around my thighs, I walked down the hallway.

The hallway, as usually, was piled with my dad's laundry, and our housemate's. Neither one of them seem to know how to clean up after themselves very well. Wrinkling my nose, I stepped over a pile of shirts, and padded my way into the living room. It wasn't exactly spotless either. The walls were dirty, in need of a good paint job, the window sill cluttered with papers and random objects that somehow found their way into the mess, the coffee table cluttered with dad's “work.” Looking at that, it was small wonder I had become a tinker. Small bits of electronics were scattered everywhere, pieces of this and that. Looking at it, my eyes dashed over the pieces, assimilating and diagnosing the information in fractions of a second.

_Broken circuit board, easy fix, re-solder the joints, attach with two wires crossing through to the other board, induce static charge to overpower the circuits, create magnetic field, contain with..._

I forced myself to stop. I'd been yelled at more than once for “playing” with Dad's work. Generally because the parts I took to play with ended up nothing like what he intended for them to look like. Blinking, I tried to remember why everything felt so off, so weird, so unusual again, only for the spike of pain to slam into my forehead again. Swaying on my feet, I stopped, and moved forward.

There was a bar seperating the kitchen from the living room, and my dad was in the kitchen, from the sounds and smells.  _Bacon. That smell is bacon._ Why was that unusual? Dad almost always had bacon for breakfast. And dinner. There was a near-permanent smell of bacon in the house, almost like a coating of bacon grease. I shuddered. I was beginning to hate bacon. He turned and saw me in the entryway of the kitchen, and frowned.

“What are you doing up so early?” he asked.

I shrugged. “You woke me up.”

He glanced down at the fact I had no pants on, and his frown deepened. “Go get dressed. Take a shower. You have school today.”

School? I hadn't....  _OWWW... stop thinking about that!_ I yelled at myself, and nodded instead, turning and heading back down the hallway into my room. I gathered some clothes, barely even paying attention to them, and stepped into the bathroom. As I opened the bathroom door and turned on the light, I heard our housemate cough his way into the living room, then the signature whisk of his lighter, followed by an “ahhh,” which was shortly followed by him dropping heavily onto the couch, and flicking on the TV. When it's noise flooded the room, I shut, and locked the bathroom door. He had a habit of trying to walk in on me while I was in the shower, or even just taking a pee. There had been a few times I had forgotten to lock the door with him around, and suffice it to say, I did not want to be left alone with him more than was necessary.

I flicked on the water, frowning to myself. The tech in this house was so archaic, so desolate. My dad's skills were barely passing as a repairman. The only jobs he ever really made any money on were the ones I took over for him, without his knowing, and repaired something beyond the point of making it new. Generally that resulted in a happy customer that brought several more jobs, and money, to the table, but a lack of opportunity for me to get my hands on them, and therefore... after a series of mediocre jobs, the customer went on their way to someone else, and I had to wait until the next chance came up. I sighed, and stripped out of my clothes, laying my glasses carefully on the counter, then hopping in the shower, dancing and twisting in the hot-then-ice-then-hot water spray. I hated this house. I hated the fact that I could have fixed everything in it inside of an hour, and had money to spare to buy three new homes on top of everything else. I hated the fact that I wasn't allowed to do any of it. I hated it all. I wanted out.

I turned off the water spray, and wrung my hair out, before stepping out, toweling myself dry, and getting dressed. Apparently I had picked up a cute pair of white with little purple hearts panties, a jean skirt that came down to my knees, and a white and purple striped short-sleeve top. I put my glasses back on before I combed my hair, then wrung it out some more, and combed it again, then pulled it into a ponytail, shrugged, and took my dirty clothes back to my room, shut my door, and walked straight out of the house without either of the adults even realizing I had left. Stupid adults.

I was barely a block down the street, which was an average suburb street, dotted with homes and cars carrying people to work, when I saw... well. Him. There was no other word for it, nothing that adequately captured the thick essence of the man... thing... lurking in the shadows between two homes which were only a few feet apart. I paused, then walked over. He turned as I approached, obviously hearing me before I got there. “Hi, Kelsey.”

His voice was low, gravelly. Rough. I liked it; it was wild. I smiled up at him, and reached out, plucking at his trenchcoat. “You really think that's going to help?”

He shrugged. Uneasy. Unsure. “Dunno. Doesn't feel... normal today. You get me?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I know what you mean. Today feels really weird. I keep feeling like things aren't what they should be, can't remember things clearly. But whenever I try, I get this splitting headache.” I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “I don't like it. Wish I could remember things.”

“You mean you can't recall—” he cut off abruptly.

I waited a second, but nothing else came from him, so I prodded for more. “Recall what?”

He shook his head. “Nevermind. Can't say.”

I frowned. “Why not? Do you know why I can't remember things?”

He shrugged, visibly uneasy with the conversation. “You're younger than I remember,” he said, changing the subject.

I glanced down at myself. “Younger? What do you mean? I'm a day older than I was yesterday. That makes me older.”

“Yesterday,” he repeated, then scoffed, a deep, rumbling chuckle. He lapsed into silence after that, and I let him. Honestly, I didn't even really want to go to school. Who on earth did? Plus, the work was so easy, so simple. The school had been trying to skip me forwards in grades for years but my dad wouldn't let them. He said I needed to be “normal” and do what other kids did. I hated normal. Normal was boring.

Looking up at my big friend, I frowned. I knew he was my friend. I knew I felt... well. Something, in terms of familiarity and comfort with him. Plus, he knew me. But why wouldn't I remember anything  _specific?_ It was driving me insane, trying to focus on the memories and bring my past back to my conscious mind. I grit my teeth briefly as the pain spiked in my forehead again, and I stopped trying, instead going back to the first topic at hand. I pulled at the edge of his trenchcoat again. “This really doesn't do much to hide yourself.”

He growled, literally. Not a human imitation of a growl, but a feral growl that only a wolf could produce. Of course, that was easy, for him. He was a wolf, afterall. Standing on two legs, with a torso as thick as many bodybuilder's, broad shoulders and thickly muscled arms that ended with human-esque hands, but covered in fur, the tips of his fingers ending in curved claws. His torso tapered down to a narrow waist, but his thighs and legs were thick, muscled heavily. His trenchcoat was pulled tightly around him, but couldn't hide the way his legs curved, and the hood, even pulled all the way forward, couldn't really hide the wolf's muzzle that peeked out, and nothing at all was hiding the tail that peeked out the back of the bottom of his coat. Maybe in the dead of night, he could pass for a drunken man walking down the street, but like this? In the bright light of day? Never.

I tapped my lip, and a thought occurred to me. “I have an idea. I have to... break some rules to do it though...”

He looked at me sharply. “What?”

I smiled up at him. “Well. I could program two phones two broadcast an image around you, if they were set right on your belt, that way people just looking at you would see whatever I wanted them to. But, it wouldn't be perfect.” I thought quickly for a moment more. “At least, not with what I have available here.”

“What do you mean, 'what you have here'?” he growled.

I waved a hand around us. “There isn't a whole lot of tech just laying about here, is there? But with a couple of cell phones, I could make the basic version. Once I had some better equipment, I could build a better projection unit, one that could even fool human senses of touch.”

“You... how?”

I shrugged slightly. “Technology is vast; humans aren't. It's pretty easy to trick the senses, really. I mean, it still won't be foolproof, but it'll have it's uses, I'm sure.” I bit my lip, looking up at him. “So, do you want me to try or not?”

He paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

I smiled. “Awesome! I love being able to play with stuff. Hey, do you have a screwdriver? No. Of course you don't. Wait here. I'll be right back.”

He blinked, but settled back against the wall, watching me turn and jog back home.

I slipped back in the door, quietly. Dad, nor our housemate, even noticed. Again. Stupid adults. They were sitting on the couch, watching some stupid show, eating their bacon. Stupid bacon.

I slipped into the kitchen, moving stealthily to the table. There were several piles here of broken, discarded electronic devices here. Toasters were piled up on top of microwaves sitting on the floor, with smaller components spilling across the table. Everything from broken tablets, cell phones, harddrives, optical drives, graphics cards, motherboards... I glanced across the pile, sorting through the phones quickly. I pulled out two simpler, older cell phone models, checked the battery power. Dead, of course. I looked around some more, and finally found a couple with a little charge left, swapped them out with the dead ones quickly, then found a charger in one of the kitchen drawers. I pulled out a couple screwdrivers and a little knife from a tool drawer, then ducked back outside, and headed back to my friend, Warren the wolf. He was exactly where I had left him, looking impatient as I jogged up, clutching my little bundle of goodies in both hands.

“Okay!” I declared. “Just have to do some quick work here... come on, let's see if they have an outlet along the back of their house.”

“If they're home and see me,” Warren the wolf began, but I waved his complaint off.

“This is the Cullens' house. They work, and don't have kids. They probably left about two hours ago.” I lead the way to their back yard. They had a little concrete patio, with a charcoal grill sitting out and a few basic pieces of lawn furniture. Nothing fancy. But next to the sliding doors, there was an outlet. I sat down, crossing my legs and tucking my skirt around my legs, glancing up to make sure Warren the wolf wasn't trying to catch any peeks—he glanced away rather quickly as I looked up at him, which made me think that perhaps he was—and then plugged the charger in, and the first phone. I powered it up, popping the case open, and used the knife to pry the screen off, getting to the deeper components.

A few tweaks and turns of the screwdriver later, I placed the screen back on, swiping it with my thumb. It unlocked, and I pulled up the browser, finding a generic picture. I quickly set the camera into reverse; much the same as I had done with my glasses. Instead of capturing an image, it would now project it, when I wanted it to. I turned it off, unplugged it, plugged in the second, and did the same thing, finding the same generic image. Then, turning both on, I synced the two, turning one into the broadcast and the other into a receiver, then held them up.

“Okay. Put them in your pockets, one in each. Screens facing in.”

He took them in his furry hands, and did so. Nothing happened. He growled. “What's supposed to happen?”

“Nothing, until I turn them on, silly,” I said. I pushed his trenchcoat back, and then tapped the power button on top of each at the same time. There was a shimmer of light around him, and then...

Standing before me was a pretty regular, generic man in a trenchcoat. Tall, still. But normal. Brown hair, blue eyes. Clean shaven, angular face. He looked at his hands, and his lips curled into a smile.

“It works!”

I frowned. “I'll have to do something with a voice module later, too. You still sound like a wolf.”

He chuckled. “I can be quiet until such a time.”

I nodded. “You might have to. Okay... listen. I have some money, stashed away.”

“You. Have money.” He stated dully.

“Yes! Now hush, and listen. You don't have but maybe a couple hours, on that battery life. And I'm not sure how these phones will hold up with prolonged use, anyway. They're pretty jury-rigged... overloading their lenses and processors. I need to get you better equipment. So! Come with me to the bank, and make a withdrawal for me. I can buy some better stuff, and make you a proper projection unit, that you could use whenever you wanted.”

“Why would I need to make the withdrawal?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Cause I'm a minor, duh. And I'll probably need around five-to-six thousand, roughly, for the proper equipment. So, c'mon. No time to waste!”

He frowned at me, but allowed me to grab his hand, and drag him back around the front of the house and down the street. I didn't live all that far from the bank; in truth, it was about a ten minute walk, when just taking one's time, strolling along, pausing at intersections. I did little of that, concerned about how long the batteries were going to last in Warren the wolf's current projector, and, to be perfectly honest, I was a little curious as to just how much money I actually had in my bank account. There was also the state of the sky, which I had now noticed was heavily overcast, and threatening rain. Before I really realized it, we were walking inside, looking for all the world to anyone that noticed like a father with his daughter, just going to the bank like any one of a million normal pairs of people. And, it seemed like they had made it inside just in the nick of time as well, for the sky cracked open and the rain began pouring down.

Little did these people know they were soooooo wrong. Warren the wolf lead the way to the stand in the middle, with all the withdrawal slips and the like. “Do you know your information?” he growled at me.

I nodded, and grabbed one of their pens, and jotted down the account number from memory. I had several accounts, but only the one number actually memorized. It was my primary, actual account. I had a few others, set up with untraceable protections, that I received payments into, then funneled funds down through a list of transactions into my own, and only in small amounts. One or two hundred here, fifty there, and so on. Still, the account had to have quite the balance.

“Withdraw... six thousand,” I said, writing in the numbers. For a kid, I mused, I had pretty decent hand writing. “Cash. Big bills are fine, easier to carry, hide. I'm not worried about cash tracing anyway. And get the remaining balance, please.” I handed him the slip, and we stepped into line. They were fairly busy, but the line moved pretty quickly.

A young woman got in line behind us. I turned and gave her a smile. She was brunette, pretty, delicate features, a smattering of freckles accenting her prettiness, completely unremarkable, except for the fact that I couldn't help but feel like... she was entirely remarkable. I should know her face. She noticed me looking at her, and gave me a nervous smile, shuffling in place. I turned away as Warren the wolf tugged my hand, leading me to the counter. Guess it was our turn. He let my hand go as he conducted the transaction, leaving me to lean against the counter and survey the crowd. Many were just coming and going, using automatic tellers to conduct their daily business. Others were waiting for accountants, loan officers, a ceaseless flow of personnel moving about the floor. A few minutes passed, then Warren the wolf reached down, taking my hand, and we went to leave...

Right as a huge monster, followed closely by a second, barged into the lobby, skidding across the tiles. One dug it's claws in, sliding to a stop, tearing a deep furrow into the floor. I was oddly focused on that, rather than the fact that these huge monsters had appeared. Calm, collected. The lobby exploded in panic, screams, terrified wails... that went silent just as everything went totally and completely black a split second later.

I froze in place, unable to see even an inch in front of my own face, which I verified by waving my hand in front of my face, successfully nearly knocking my glasses off doing so. Apparently, being blind also messed with your depth perception. I strained to look around, dropping to my knees, feeling Warren the wolf crouch next to me, having moved slightly in front of me, as if trying to shield me with himself though I assumed he had to be as blind as I was.

The darkness deafened sound, as well. I looked around, and couldn't hear a single scream, sniffle, or snob. “Interesting,” I remarked, and barely even heard myself through the echo of my own voice vibrating straight into my ears. “Very interesting...”

A moment later, the blackness parted, and a group of figures moved into the center of the lobby. There were five of them, all dressed in costumes.

Villains.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully, and watched as they made their way to the center. One of the thinner, more feminine in appearance, turned to address the lobby as a whole, showing off a spider. I blinked. There was a spider on me? Ewww... serious amounts of ew. I tapped Warren, and pointed at the phones on his hips. He glanced down, then shrugged as he looked at me. I rolled my eyes. I would have to wait till I had a more direct way of asking for them.

The girl that had been in line behind us, I noticed, was next to us, laying on the ground. She glared murder at the group of villains. It was weird, noticing the strange amount of passion on her face at this moment. The girl that had spoke to us seemed to notice it as well, her yellow-lensed mask sweeping across me, then away, dismissing me out of hand. I grinned. Excellent.

They made their way into the vault, ignoring us for the moment.

“Warren,” I whispered. He turned to look at me. “Give me the phones.”

“But the projection...”

“Did you see those monsters there?” I pointed with my chin at the main entry way, guarded by two of the behemoth beasts that had charged into the room just before the blackness. “No one is going to notice you right now. They're all terrified. Pull up your hood, and hunker down behind the counter here. Just give me the phones.”

He nodded, and did as I said, the air shimmering around him as he pulled the phones out of his pocket, his real appearance coming back into focus. “Hey,” I hissed to the girl, next to us. She was the only one within my range. “Wiggle a little closer.”

She glanced at me. “Why?”

I rolled my eyes again. Why couldn't people just do what I asked sometimes? “Do you really enjoy the idea of a black widow spider hanging out on you, ready to bite? I don't. C'mere.”

She did as I asked, glancing at the phones in my hand distrustfully. I pulled my screwdriver and knife out of my pocket, popped the cases open, and a couple twists later...

“Okay. If she has complete control over them, she's probably going to realize when I kill these three spiders, so let's wait for the right moment...”

“Wards are outside.”

I glanced at the girl. “What?”

“The Wards. They're outside, waiting.”

“How do you know that? We can't _see_ outside.” I motioned to the lingering blackness that covered the windows. “Why wouldn't they come in?”

“Because they can't see in, but these villains have to go out, right? So. They're waiting... for the right moment. Wait until they're distracted.”

I nodded, and tucked the phones into the pocket of my skirt, and waited. It didn't take long, and one of the girl villians gathered the others. They went to the windows, and conversed amongst themselves for a bit... I looked around the lobby, seeing the people hunkered down, scared, afraid of what was happening, of the spiders, of everything. I wished I had more at hand to work with, but without a way to amplify the electric current, without making it lethal to us, I was a little limited.

“We need some volunteers,” one of the villains said, and walked through the group of hostages. “People to send out, to the Wards waiting.”

“Are you going to kill us?”

“Honestly? I hope not. Can't promise nothing will happen,” the girl said with a shrug. She had a cute costume. An interesting angular mask... I met her eyes briefly, and she glanced away with a slight shake of her head. I liked her.

A few hands went up, but apparently not enough. She selected a few others, took them to the doorway. The villians talked a little more, then sent them out front, running out of the darkness.

I couldn't see the rest from my vantage point, but judging by the slight pause, then suddenly flurry of action, the beasts charging out, the sudden fight that engulfed their attention, I stuck my hand in my pocket, pulled out the phones, looked to the girl. “Touch me, put your hand on my arm.” She and Warren both did so. Her eyes widened as she noticed Warren the wolf's furry hand, but she didn't say anything. Yet.

I thumbed the switch, and felt the electric surge, draining the rest of the batteries, flow through me, completing the circuit, flowing through me into the other two, then dissipating through the floor. It wasn't nearly enough to harm us in any way, but to the frail body of a little spider... I smiled as I saw the small black shape shrivel and fall from Warren's shoulder and out of the girl's hair.

“Dead,” I confirmed, and gave myself a shake to get the one on me off, if it was still on me. Then Warren the wolf rose, looking back to me. I shrugged, glancing around. The villians were engaged all-out with the Wards, trading blows, focused entirely on one another, completely ignoring us... except for the bug girl. She turned and looked directly at us, then shouted to one of the others, who turned, glancing in our direction. He raised his hand, and blackness billowed over us.

Warren grabbed my hand, dragging me backwards, out of the cloud. I tripped over a prone hostage, and landed on my hands and knees on their other side, glancing back over my shoulder as I saw a blast from one of them, no clue who, shatter one of the windows, drawing the villains' attention back to the front. I glanced up at my friend, and his muzzle, sticking out of his hood, was twisted in a snarl as he looked around, obviously trying to decide what was the largest threat...

I laid my hand on his arm, drawing his attention. “The PRT want me... if the Wards get their hands on me...” I left the rest unsaid. He merely nodded, and looked around, re-evaluating the scene.

I shut him out for a moment, and assessed the situation for myself. The Wards were battling in the street, having a tough time of managing those behemoth monsters, apparently. One of them, Gallant, hit one of the girls, and she screamed, twisting with such a look of pure rage on her face I could only wonder what in the world he had done, and the monsters reacted to her instructions, flying towards him, only to twist aside and dive at someone else at the last second.

Everything was progressing so rapidly, so quickly. I watched one of the villain girls turn and run back, dismissed her for the moment. I thought she might have been the one I decided I liked, but wasn't too sure at that moment. The bug girl was standing still, watching, but I could see dark blurs moving and twisting outside. She was probably controlling a swarm of insects, trying to do so from a safe place. Lasers bounced around outside, hitting some, missing more often than not, however. I watched as the brown-haired girl snuck up behind the bug girl, and bashed her with a fire extinguisher, and began making my way there—only to find myself rolling across the ground as a white blur slammed into the lobby only a few feet away, casting a rolling shockwave that knocked me off my feet, and sent several others flying in different directions. I twisted around, coming up on my knees, looking as the newcomer straightened from a shattered piece of marble flooring.

Glory Girl.

I knew about her, at least, somewhat. Everyone knew who she was, and knew she was notoriously unaffiliated with the PRT, Wards, or any known villain groups. But what on earth was she doing here? I felt, again, like I should have known the answer, but as soon as I focused on it, trying to drag the knowledge forward, that spike drove straight through my forehead again, and I collapsed backwards, shaking my head to clear it.

Glory Girl glanced at me, dismissed me out of hand, and shot forwards, towards the brunette and bug girl. I noticed the bug girl had the prior in a type of headlock, with a knife to her throat. Glory Girl paused a few feet away, trading banter back and forth. I turned my head, and saw the other girl moving in their direction. I hurried to my feet, and moved to intercept her.

“Hey,” I said, grabbing her hand. She twisted, glancing at me, and again her face wrinkled in a weird way as she looked at me.

“You're... what?” she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Huh? Hey. Listen. I can help. You. I can help you guys.”

She blinked. “I can't read you. Well, I can, and I can't, and I don't like things I can't. Why should I trust you?”

I sighed. “Because I have a very, very good reason for not wanting to be here if you leave and the PRT and the Wards start asking for statements from people. I'd much rather be with you. Besides,” I said with a little smile, and turned, pointing at Warren the wolf, who was slowly approaching Glory Girl from behind. He had taken off the trenchcoat, and looked very intimidating as a wolf. In his hand, he was carrying what appeared to be some type of mace, or hammer, quite large, and so black that it seemed to absorb light entirely, making your eyes hurt when you looked directly at it. “I bring him with me.”

She glanced at Warren, then back at me. “You have my attention.”

I bit my lip, glancing around quickly. “We need to deal with this situation, and fast, and get out of here. Promise I can come with you. I'll tell you whatever you want to know if you do. But I can help.”

“You're just a kid, how can you help?”

“I am _not_ just a kid!” I protested. I pulled one of the phones out of my pocket, and thumbed the switch. Nothing. Oh.. right. I had used up the last of the battery. “Fuck. Do you have a phone you don't want anymore?”

She frowned, but reached into her pocket. I popped open the case, pulled out the battery, and handed the phone back, slid the battery into my phone, tossing the dead one aside. It was useless now anyway. All I could hope for was that I hadn't stressed the circuits in this too far, yet. A few tweaks and turns of my screwdriver later, I handed her the phone. “When you have a chance, get Glory Girl to hold that.”

“What am I supposed to do, walk up to her, and tell she has a call?” the girl asked dryly.

I looked up at her, and giggled a little. “If you have to. And hey... you're pretty.”

She blinked in surprise as I turned and ran to Warren, who was nearly to Glory Girl. He raised his hammer, and brought it down on her shoulder with a surprising amount of force. She collapsed to her knees, crying out in shock and surprise. The brunette cried out wordlessly, and the villain girl I had talked to ran into the room. Glory Girl turned, catching Warren by the ankle, flipping him into the air. Just before he smashed into the ground, blackness, like his weapon was formed from, wrapped around his torso completely, protecting him even as the marble underfoot cracked from his impact. He twisted as he landed, swinging the hammer into her back, knocking her forward, skidding across the floor a few feet.

The girl I had given the phone to cried out “Hey, catch!” and tossed the phone through the air to Glory Girl, who got to her knees, and confused, caught the phone, looking for all the world like she had no idea why she had done that.

At that moment, I pushed reality. There was no other way for me to accurately describe what I did. I visualized what was about to happen, then pushed it into the reality around me, forcing it to become that reality. The space around Glory Girl widened, warping until it seemed like two football fields seperated us and her. She glanced around herself in surprise, the brunette cried out again, trying to get to her, and I hit the little switch I had kept from the phone in my pocket. The phone detonated, with a surprising amount of force, the internal energy driving in a loop through the phone, creating a feedback loop that when I interrupted it, exploded violently. As soon as the explosion had ended, I pulled reality back to itself, and Glory Girl snapped back into place just before us, laying back, stunned, her uniform blackened and burned away from half her body.

Which, I noted idly, was a pretty sexy body.

Warren picked her up, and heaved her into the wall, where she slumped, unconscious, and I smiled, dusting my hands off. “There's that,” I said.

“Tattle, what the fuck...” the bug girl asked.

The girl I liked, the pretty one, shrugged, staring at me in a whole new light. “She's coming with us. And her friend?” the last was a question, but Warren nodded.

We followed them out, Tattle, as I guessed her cape name was, grabbed my hand and pulled me up behind her onto one of the huge beasts, darkness blanketing the road, and it began to run. Unable to see, I had to trust they knew where they were going, or had some way to navigate in the total black. I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding on for dear life as the beast heaved and lurched, leaping through the air with huge bounds that continually tried to unseat me. I hoped Warren was faring better on his own. The bug girl was sitting just in front of Tattle, and with periodic lurches, I could feel her armored costume pressing back against my hands, which were clasping one another on Tattle's belly. She put one hand over mine, almost reassuringly, and I smiled into her back.

When we finally stopped, Tattle held my hand as I slipped off the beast's back, and I could very dimly hear the swishing and such of clothing. A few minutes passed as I stood there tensely, occassionaly reaching out to touch Tattle, reassuring myself that she was still there. She soothed me, patting my shoulder, then after around twenty minutes, the darkness finally parted and lifted. I found myself standing between two girls, each holding a normal-looking shopping bag and sporting umbrellas. So, that was why we weren't getting rained on now, I mused. One of the girls was holding a leash with a little dog on the end, which was sitting and panting, looking around itself curiously as the world came back into view.

The one girl was dark haired, curly, a bit awkward looking, to be honest. She had large glasses, and held herself awkwardly, like she expected to fall over at any moment. She looked at me, and then looked away, pointedly trying to ignore my presence. The other, the blond girl, Tattle, was even cuter, I decided immediately, out of costume. She had a few freckles across her nose and cheeks, and a ready smile that I immediately liked. I stepped closer to her, and bit my lip.

“So um... where do we go now?” I asked softly.

Tattle looked down at me, and smiled. “Now, we figure out who you are.”

I shrugged. “I'm an open book. I won't hide anything from you.” I noticed the short glance the dark haired girl shot my way, before going back to ignore me. Tattle noticed it as well, giving her a curious look, before starting our walk down the street. I followed along, doing my best to stay under her umbrella, which meant I was pretty much pressed against her side as we did so. She laid an easy arm around my shoulders. I wasn't that much shorter than her, coming up to her shoulder, so I suspected to most passerby, we appeared to be sisters, just walking along as we went home. Tattle passed the dog on a leash to the other girl, and we walked in silence for a long moment, before stopping at a little cafe.

“Hungry?” Tattle asked us both. I nodded, but the dark haired girl shrugged, uncomfortable still with my presence, I assumed. Tattle took note, and spoke quietly to her. She went off on her own, and Tattle took me inside. We ordered before I remembered I didn't have any of my money; Warren the wolf had it.

“I um... I don't have any cash,” I said lamely. “I can cancel my order, you don't have to pay for me.”

Tattle giggled. “Don't worry about it, I'll cover it.”

“You really don't have to,” I insisted. “I have money, just not... with me. My um. Friend, he has it. Warren. The wolf,” I finished in a whisper.

She nodded. “Seriously, it's okay. I don't mind. This place isn't super expensive. Just enjoy it. You look like you need something to eat.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

She gave me a little wink. “Don't mention it.”

“Kinda makes this a date, huh,” I mused aloud. She paused, and gave me a curious look.

“Aren't you a little young to date?”

“No. I'm not a kid.”

“You look like a kid.”

“Looks aren't everything, don't ya know. Hey, I've been through a lot. I know a lot. I've done stuff. I'm mature.”

“I find it hard to argue those points,” Tattle pointed out with a smile.

I nodded. “So. Um. Can I ask your name?”

Tattle shrugged. “That depends. What's your aim here?”

“I want to join you guys. That was fun, back there. I want...” I shrugged. “I don't know, really, what I want. I've got the attention of the PRT, but I don't want to join them and work under their rules, have everything I make taken away and distributed to idiots who can't come up with their own shit.”

“Language,” she admonished lightly.

“Sorry...” I looked at the table for a moment. “I'm a tinker. I think you know that, though.”

“I gathered as much. And you seem to also have some spatial control, similar to Vista's.”

I nodded. “Yeah. But mine's better.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Better?”

“Yep. She can't control stuff with people, or living things, in it. I can. I can manipulate any space I want. And build shi.... stuff.”

She nodded. The waitress brought us our orders, a couple burgers with some fries. I picked up a fry and popped it into my mouth. “What makes you think we'd take you?”

I shrugged. “Iunno. Blind hope? I guess. I don't have a lot of experience. No one will give me a chance. But I like you. I think you're pretty.”

She flushed slightly at that. “You said that once already.”

I shrugged. “Never hurts to repeat the truth, does it?”

“Never thought of it that way.”

I ate another couple fries, took a sip of my iced tea. “I can't promise anything,” she said at last. “But I'll talk to the others, let them know how you helped us out. Let them know you're interested. Would your friend join with you?”

“I can't really speak for him, but I think so.” I paused. “Where is he, anyway?”

“He'll meet us when we get back to the hangout. He was with Regent, I think.”

I nodded. “Okay. So... who are all the members? You, Tattle...?”

She smiled, that coy, semi-flirty smile that I really liked. “Tattletale. That's me. Grue is the darkness guy, Regent, Bitch—the one with the dogs—and... well. Bug girl. She hasn't picked a name yet.”

“Dogs. Those monsters were dogs.”

“Yep. The one she walked home? That's what we rode out.”

“Holy shit,” I mused.

“Language,” she admonished again.

I grinned at her. “You're cute,” I said again.

She blushed, a little, and took a bite of her burger. I did the same, lapsing into silence for a few minutes.

“My name is Kelsey, by the way. I don't have a cape name.”

She looked up at me for a moment, chewing her last bite, then smiled. “Lisa.”

We finished the burgers, Lisa paid, and we went back out. The rain had stopped, for the most part, slowed down to a few spits and spurts here and there, but I remained pressed against her side. She seemed even more relaxed now, and put her arm around me comfortably. We walked down the boardwalk, then turned off into the docks, for a few blocks, and eventually found a group of people standing in the entry way of a large abandoned warehouse. Grue, the darkness guy, was standing between the dark-haired bug girl and Warren the wolf, looking a little wary, but at ease. The girl with the dogs was leaning against a wall, not paying any attention.

“Tattle,” Grue said, as we approached. “We need to talk.”

She nodded. “Yup. Inside, group huddle!” She turned to me. “Hang out here, for a sec, kay?”

I nodded, and she let go of me, slipping into the interior with the rest of the group.

I walked over to Warren. “Hey.”

He looked down at me, and the corners of his muzzle turned up in a bit of a grin. “Hey.”

“Did you... um. Save my money?”

He nodded, and pulled a packet out of his coat, handing it over. I popped the top open, glancing inside, and saw the six bundles of bills. I smiled, and handed it back. “Hang on to it for me till we're done here, I don't have any pockets. Please.” He nodded, and tucked it back away. “Sorry I blew up your temporary projector.”

He shrugged.

“I'll make a good one, promise.”

He shrugged again.

“I have a question.” He looked at me, curiously. “Before, you said I looked younger than you remembered. I feel older than I look. Why am I younger?”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “I can't say,” he growled.

“You mean you don't know, or you can't physically say it?”

He shrugged, noncommittal. I sighed, and sat against the wall, crossing my legs and tucking my skirt around my thighs. I caught him trying to peek again, and smiled slightly. He sat across from me, and we waited.

Ten or so minutes passed before Grue and Tattle returned. The other three had disappeared somewhere inside. “Here's the deal,” Grue said. “We'll give you two a trial run, for helping us out. You stay here, where we can keep an eye on you, and agree to any restrictions Tattletale needs to make sure you're not going to betray us. Take it or leave it.”

“Taken,” I said immediately, bouncing to my feet. “Thanks for the opportunity.”

Tattletale, Lisa, smiled at me. I smiled back.

Warren the wolf rose to his feet as well, stared at me for a long moment, then nodded. “Taken,” he growled. I smiled even wider.

“Well then,” Grue said, and reached up, pulling his mask off. “I'm Brian. Welcome to the Undersiders.”

I shook his hand, Warren did as well, then Tattle lead us up the stairs to the loft. It was quite comfortable looking, in all honesty. “Guys, welcome our two new members. They've agreed to the terms,” Tattle said to the others, all in various positions of lounging on the couches.

Regent turned and looked us over. “Yo,” he said, then turned back around, a game controller in his hands already. The bug girl nodded at us, but refused to look at me still. And the third, Bitch, just frowned, then turned and walked off, her dogs following after her. A door shut somewhere in the back of the hallway.

“And that's the rest of the group!” Tattle said with exaggerated cheerfulness, turning to us. I smiled at her nevertheless. “I'll show you guys to what we can use as your rooms, while you stay here. We're kind of out of space, so, you'll have to make do. Um. Warren, is it?” she asked.

Warren the wolf nodded. “Warren is fine. For now.”

“We'll have to get you a cape name, too,” she said. “Just seems to make it a little easier.” Her eyes flickered to the bug girl, who glanced away. “Sorry, but we don't really have a room for you, but Grue has said we can put up some new partitions on the other side of this wall, and build you a space. Tonight, you'll have to settle for a couch. Tomorrow we can get the furniture and materials for you.”

He nodded. “It's fine. Couches are good.”

Regent snorted behind him, but everyone else seemed to ignore him, so I did too. Tattle turned to me. “No extra rooms, like I said, but Grue said since I vouched for you, I get to split the space. So, you'll be bunking with me. Hope that's alright.”

I nodded. “Super alright.”

She smiled. “Excellent. So. I'm gonna take a nap, I've been up for way too long. You guys make yourselves at home.”

Instead, I followed Tattle back to the hallway, and into her... our... room. She turned in a circle when we entered. It was pretty cozy looking, with a big bed in one corner, the sheets and blankets all mussed up, clothes hanging on a rack on one side, a few tubs stacked up acting as a dresser. A radio, a small TV, and a mirror on one wall. No purple, however. I would need to add some purple.

“So, this is it,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, and bit her knuckles as she yawned.

“Looks comfy,” I noted. “Sharing the bed, or...”

She nodded. “That's fine with me.”

I smiled, and sat next to her. “Thanks for vouching for me.”

She shrugged it off. “No worries. I have a good feeling about you, even if I can't seem to pull any information up about your past.”

“Neither can I,” I said softly. “Every time I try to think about anything before today, my head hurts, but I know... general things. I just can't remember specifics. Like, I feel like I should know more about you, but when I try, it hurts.”

She frowned at me. “That's curious.”

I nodded. “Tell me about it.”

She reached over, lifting my chin with her fingers, turning my face to look at her, then pulled my glasses off. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw my eyes—my real eyes—for the first time. I blushed slightly.

“I made a projector in the frames to broadcast a normal image through the lenses, so you don't see the glow, or the green.”

“Shame you have to hide them,” Tattle said softly.

“Why?”

“They're beautiful,” she said. “And, you're really cute yourself, by the way.”

I blushed, biting my lip... until her thumb came up, gently pulling my lip free from my teeth, and traced my bottom lip. “I'm going to kiss you,” she whispered. And then she did, lowering her mouth to mine, kissing me softly, gently. I shivered slightly, goosebumps racing down my back and arms as her lips covered mine, softly pressing against them intimately, then her lips opened, coaxing mine apart, and her tongue, small, searing hot and wet, darted between my lips, touching mine lightly, pulled back, then did so again. I gave a soft little “Ooohh” moan as it ghosted between my lips again, slower, pressing against mine longer. I curled my tongue around hers, and before I realized it we were laying on the bed, facing one another, mouths sealed together, tongues twisting and dueling, rubbing together. I cupped her face in both hands, one of her arms wrapped around my shoulders, bringing me close to her body, so I could feel her breasts pressed into my chest, the other tangled in my hair, loosening my ponytail, holding my head in place while she kissed me thoroughly. One of her thighs came up, rubbing gently against my own, and my legs parted, my top leg lifting over hers. Her jeans were rough, but still felt good as they rubbing over my inner thighs, her leg lifting up until the top of her thigh was pressed against the junction of my thighs under my skirt.

I moaned slightly at the contact, and she pulled back, laying a finger over my lips. “Shh,” she whispered. “Can't be too loud.”

“Sorry,” I whispered back, and she kissed me again.

“It's okay. I like the sounds you make. Just keep them low, kay?”

I nodded, licking my lips. She watched my tongue, then kissed me again, coaxing my tongue into her mouth, sucking on it gently, rubbing her thigh slightly back and forth against my sex. I ran one hand down her side, feeling the swell of her breast, the bump of her bra wrapped around her torso, the dip of her waist and swell of her hip, then back up, ghosting my fingers under her shirt, pulling it up to the bottom of her bra, tickling her side lightly, running my fingers back and forth over the exposed section of her midriff. She pressed tighter against me, then rolled us so she was kneeling above me, pressing me down into her bed, still kissing me. She reached down, lifting my shirt up, then broke the kiss long enough to pull it off over my head. I wasn't even wearing a training bra, didn't really need one, and her hands covered the soft swellings in my chest where my breasts were just beginning to grow, my little pink nipples erect, tweaking the sensitive nubs with her fingers. I gasped at that, and she smiled, kissing my nose, my cheeks, turning my head to the side, licking my ear, teasing along the rim, then dipping her tongue into the center, making my toes curl in my shoes in a spike of pleasure. She sucked on my earlobe, then licked my neck, teasing her tongue along my hairline, rising more goosebumps down my arms and back. She giggled and pinched my little nipples again, turning my face back to face her, kissing me again, thrusting her tongue into my mouth. I kissed her back hungrily, spreading my legs as she laid between them, pressing her lower body to my own, running one hand down my belly, finding the zipper that held my skirt together, undoing it, laying it open, leaving me clad only in my little panties.

She licked down my neck again, then kissed my collarbone and the hollow of my throat, her tongue making teasing, small licks as she moved across to my other side, then back to the center, then straight down my breast bone, moving her mouth to one side to press her lips to a nipple, kissing it before sticking her tongue out and licking it, then sucking it into her mouth. I arched my back, pressing up into her, biting my lip to keep quiet, a soft whimper escaping despite my best efforts, and her hand on my hip came up, tracing the waistband of my panties, then eased under, sliding down my clean, bare skin to cup my little sex, her middle finger running up and down my slit ever-so-slightly...

“You're wet,” she murmured, switching nipples, and I pushed my hips up into her hand more. She gently parted my lower lips with her finger, and rubbed the tip around my little hole, spreading my wetness around, making my whole pussy slick and wet, rubbing it up and down, teasing my tiny clit with small tickling brushes of her fingertip. I whimpered again, and she licked down my belly, kissing my navel, licking it teasingly, then down...

She pushed my legs up in the air together, and pulled my panties up them, tossing them aside, leaving me totally bare before her, and lowered herself down as she set my thighs on her shoulders, my feet on her back, and kissed my pussy, taking her first taste of my sweet juices, running her tongue up and down my folds, pressing them open, sliding her tongue deep into my whole and up around my clit...

I writhed on the bed, whimpering, biting my lip to keep from crying out as she expertly manipulated me, driving me rapidly to orgasm. And when I came, I did so hard, my body jerking and thrusting up against her mouth as she slid a finger into my tight pussy, not penetrating very deeply, making me push harder, trying to get her inside of me deeper. She sucked on my clit, and I grabbed her pillow, putting it over my face as I lost control and cried out, my body jerking as I came and came...

When I finally came down, and took the pillow away, Tattle was laying next to me, idly stroking my belly and chest, smiling at me. She was propped up on her elbow, and leaned over, kissing me lightly.

“You're so cute when you cum,” she whispered, and kissed me again. I cuddled against her, and she drew a sheet over me, covering my nakedness just in case, pulling me close while she laid down. “But now, it really is naptime.”

I smiled, happy, and wiggled even closer to her. I was good with that. And content with where I was.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Going to the bank immediately seemed like a bad idea. He knew what was bound to happen. Glancing at the sky, he could see the rain wall making its way ever closer, already coming down pretty good over half the city and inching its way in this direction. He also knew that under that rain, there was a group of villains that were all headed towards the bank as well, getting ready to rob it. But he couldn't say as much. Or make any type of indication that he knew what was coming. He had tried, several different ways already, to try to tell Kelsey why she couldn't remember, tell her what she couldn't remember, and try to tell her that she didn't know him from here, in this world, but from elsewhere. From their own world. None of it, however, was very much use.

Looking down at his hands, he marveled again at her abilities already. Two simple cell phones, and she was able to project an image around his entire body to cover him with her projections? He could only imagine what her “real” projector would be, once she got some money in her hands. He wondered how she believed she had come into her money, where it came from. He remembered, quite clearly, seeing her character sheet, and knew the source of it, but even when he had tried to point out that he was aware of these things, it had come out as sarcasm and disbelief. He supposed it was a “perk” of his own disability to speak about certain things, mainly his knowledge of everything around them. He knew what was happening to Kelsey, he knew what they were going into, he knew the identities of all the villains and heroes... and was completely unable to maximize on it. Currently. He figured with some thought, he might be able to find a loophole.

They walked to the bank in silence. Kelsey seemed content to spend the time hurrying along, lost in her own thought process, her small hand warm within his own as she pulled him along. He followed her, watching her walk along. It was strange, in a way, to see someone he had seen only through online pictures and photos, now here in person, but as a little girl. He watched the way her skirt bounced around her knees, giving small glimpses of the backs of her thighs every once in a while. He had caught a small peek at her panties earlier, and wondered how she might react if he used his sexual influence on her. The thought of taking her right here, in the street, just outside the bank, bounced through his mind, and for a moment, he could almost see it happening, her bent over one the rails, her skirt flipped up on her little back while he grabbed her hips and shoved his cock into her. He wouldn't lie and say he had never thought about doing it to her back in the real world; quite honestly he had thought about fucking her a few times, and now she was right in front of him...

They walked into the bank, and shook his head slightly to clear it, bringing Kelsey to the center island, and pulling out a withdrawal slip, handing it to her. “Do you know your information?” he asked. He loved his voice. So rough, so guttural.

She nodded, grabbing a pen. He looked around idly while she filled out the slip, looking to see if Panacea, or Amy, was there yet. He didn't see her, so they hadn't missed anything then. “Withdraw... six thousand. Cash. Big bills are fine, easier to carry, hide. I'm not worried about cash tracing anyway. And get the remaining balance, please.” He nodded, taking the slip from her, and they moved into the line, which was moving fairly quickly. There was a steady flow of individuals in and out of the bank, despite the rain which had unleashed outside finally.

When the teller called them up, he tugged Kelsey's hand, pulling her up after him to the counter, happening to glance behind as he did so, and spotted Amy Dallon standing there, hands crossed before her, trying to look invisible, but yet failing. For just a moment, time stopped, and he reached out to her subconsciously, touching her with his sexual power before he even realized what he did. He saw her eyes flick up to him, meeting his eyes, and a little smile touch her lips before she glanced away, then he turned back to the teller, dropping Kelsey's hand as he slid the slip to her.

“Withdrawal, please,” he said softly, trying to soften his voice for the benefit of the girl. She nodded, and took the slip, typing the numbers into the computer quickly. “Could I also get the remaining balance?”

“Of course, sir.” She tapped a few more keys. “How do you prefer the cash?”

“Big bills are fine. Easier to carry.”

“Very well, sir. One moment, please.” She stepped away, taking the slip with her, and ripping off a receipt that printed out, taking it with her to the back. It only took her about a minute before she was back with a manila envelope. She tapped a few more keys, ripped off another receipt, then stapled it to the inside of the envelope and closed it. She opened it, showing him the cash bundles within. “Six thousand, cash.” She gave him a bright, fake, cheery smile. “Anything else I can help you with today, sir?”

“That was all, thanks.”

He stepped away, reaching down and catching Kelsey's hand, noting that Amy was done with her transaction at the neighboring teller, and moving away as well. He fell into step behind her, admiring the shape of her bottom in her jeans, watching it sway back and forth...

Just as people screamed, pure panic sweeping through the lobby as two huge beasts stampeded into the room. He hid a grin, knowing exactly what was going on, even as blackness slammed over the lobby. He dropped to his knees, pulling Kelsey down with him, and resisted the temptation to reach out to Panacea as well, not sure what would happen if he were to interfere too directly in events. Some things, he supposed, he wouldn't be able to help. After all, he was now a part of this world too. He moved slightly in front of Kelsey, sheltering her with his body, just in case.

Then the darkness parted, and Taylor made her speech, threatening everyone with her spiders. He smiled at that, wondering how Kelsey was feeling at the moment, turning to look at her. She patted him just as he turned, and he met her eyes. She pointed at his pockets. He glanced down, confused, wondering if she was trying to point out the spider, or what she was doing, then shrugged at her. She rolled her eyes, and he turned back to watch Taylor and the others move into the vault, leaving the lobby mostly unattended. I knew they were relying on Taylor's bug senses, but again, couldn't say a word of what was going on.

“Warren,” Kelsey whispered. “Give me the phones.”

His first thought was immediately what would Amy think seeing his true self. She was watching them, though trying to appear as if she wasn't. “But the projection...”

“Did you see those monsters there? No one is going to notice you right now. They're all terrified. Pull up your hood, and hunker down behind the counter here. Just give me the phones.” She held out a hand expectantly.

He nodded, glancing at Amy again, then pulled the phones out of his pockets, and handed them over, noting the shimmer around him as the real him back into plain view. Amy wasn't even looking in his direction, instead focusing on what Kelsey was doing. Kelsey spoke to her, telling her to wiggle closer. They had a brief whispered exchange, then Amy did as asked. He frowned. She wasn't aware of who she really was, but she was already affecting events directly, if she did what he thought she was about to. Without the spider on Amy to dull Taylor's sense, what would be the new outcome of the fight and confrontation?

Kelsey fiddled with the phones briefly, then had another hushed conversation with Panacea, then settled back to wait. It didn't take very long for the Undersiders to come back out, and notice the Wards waiting outside. They had a brief talk themselves, then Tattle asked for volunteers. He huddled closer to the island, hiding under his trenchcoat, doing his best not to be noticed by Tattle as she walked around, then went back to the group with eight of the hostages.

Everything else seemed to happen really fast. The Undersiders attacked, the dogs charging out to engage the Wards first, then the rest all fell into the fight, going back and forth.

“Touch me, put your hand on my arm.” Kelsey whispered from behind. He turned, doing so, and saw Panacea doing the same on the other side. They met each other's eyes, and once again he reached out with his sexual power, touching her again. Her lips curled into a smile once again. He shivered as he felt the electric current run over him, and figured the spider could not have survived it. He glanced up, and saw Taylor turn, her yellow lenses focused right on them.

_Shit._ He thought, moving to jump up and intercept her if she rushed them, keeping in mind both her baton and her knife, reaching out with his mind, getting ready to summon armor, weapons, whatever he would need. He rose slightly to his feet, just as Grue covered the three of them with darkness again. He grabbed Kelsey, dragging her out of the back of the cloud. A window up front exploded in a spray of glass, drawing the Undersider's attention, and he looked around, snarling, trying to judge where the attack would come from, ready to defend her if necessary. Kelsey had tripped, but got to her feet, grabbing his arm.

“The PRT want me... if the Wards get their hands on me...”

_Fuck. That's right... Dragon wants her. Goddammit, she just had to include that bit on her character sheet. At least this version of her seems aware of the danger._ He looked around quickly, trying to figure out what to do, and do it quickly.

He ran out of time, catching sight of Panacea attacking Taylor, who had turned back to the fight outside, the two of them staggering into an office in their struggle with one another.

It didn't take but a few seconds, and Glory Girl showed up, slamming through the roof, into the floor, shattering the marble flooring, casting people rolling. He saw Kelsey roll with the impact, trying to get to Panacea. Tattle was near her. Hoping Tattle would keep to her character and not be violently confrontational, he focused instead on Glory Girl, moving up behind her, slowly, sneaking in her direction. In his hand, he formed a large mace out of pure blackness, the haft feeling as real as anything else in his hand, as heavy as a real weapon. He crouched low, staying behind her, moving quietly to avoid drawing her attention, even though it was entirely focused on Panacea, who Taylor was holding with a knife to her throat. He glanced to the side, and saw Tattle with Kelsey, then Tattle moved away, looking confused, but carrying a phone in her hand...

What had she done now? Dammit. He felt like he should have paid more attention to that, and seen what she had up her sleeve. He saw her turn towards him, moving in his direction, and sprang his attack, leaping the last few feet, grasping the mace with both hands and bringing it down with crushing force on her shoulder. Glory Girl called out in surprise, dropping under the blow, but reached out, catching his ankle, flipping him into the air, then slamming him down into the ground. He barely had a second to react, but his power was fast; blackness wrapped around his torso, solid armor, absorbing the brunt of the impact. He grunted, felt the marble crack under him, and twisted, swinging the mace with one-hand with all the strength behind it he could muster, slamming it into her back, spending her sprawling forward several feet just as Kelsey reached him.

“Hey, catch!” Tattle cried out, tossing the phone to Glory Girl as she struggled to her knees. She caught it, looking confused, and then suddenly, the area around her warped, changed, like Vista's power... but it came from Kelsey, putting Glory Girl at a safe distance from everyone else present as the phone in her hand detonated with a force that he would definitely not have expected, tossing her like a doll to the ground. Then she was right back in front of him again, half naked, her costume nearly destroyed by the explosion.

He picked her up and chucked her into the wall with enough force to shatter the drywall, burying her half in the wall. She slumped, unconscious. He figured the explosion must have knocked out her forcefield, and getting chucked into the wall knocked her out. He glanced at Panacea, who was entirely focused on her sister, uncaring about anything else. Knowing what her did about her, he also knew they couldn't let her get to Glory Girl before we were gone.

“Tattle, what the fuck...” Taylor began, still holding Panacea, not letting her go. _Smart girl,_ he said to himself.

“She's coming with us. And her friend?” Tattle looked directly at him. He nodded. Taylor clubbed the top of Panacea's head, knocking her senseless. He stopped as the others made their way outside, and checked her. She was dazed, disoriented, but still awake.

“Sorry.” He said simply.

She looked at him groggily. “Why... did you side with them...?”

He shrugged. “Nothing personal. Can't let the PRT get ahold of the girl.” He paused, then leaned in close, and licked her cheek. She tensed up as he did, but it was so brief she didn't have time to react. Then he gave her a canine wink, and hurried after the others.

Kelsey climbed up onto one of the dogs behind Tattle and Taylor. Grue and Regent grabbed a second. Bitch glared at him as he approached.

“Who the fuck is this?” she demanded, looking at Grue.

“Tattle said he helped save her and Taylor. They're coming with. Get him out of here with you. Same plan. Go.”

“But—” Bitch began.

“Goddammit Bitch we don't have time for this, GO!” Grue barked. She turned and climbed onto the dog, waiting for him to follow her up, not offering a helping hand. He put one arm around her middle, holding on as she kicked the dog into motion, and they were off.

He grinned to himself as Bitch held herself rigidly before him, obviously uncomfortable with the way his arm curled around her middle. He leaned forward, his muzzle over shoulder by her ear so she could hear him even in the darkness. “Thanks. Like your dogs.”

She grunted. He couldn't hear it, but rather felt it as he squeezed her middle again. He had to admit, she wasn't the most attractive female, not even very attractive in current company. Taylor had an edge over her in terms of form and looks, and Tattle had them both beat... and Kelsey, well. She was cute, and innocent, quirky. Smart. He definitely had to fuck her at some point, he decided. Taylor as well. But he could immediately tell that Bitch would only respond to a brute display of power, of superiority. He began forming his plan well before they reached their destination. She dropped him off at the warehouse, then moved away from him immediately. He smirked at her back, and waited. Grue and Regent were next to show up, then Taylor showed up by herself.

“Where's Tattle, and the girl?” Grue asked her.

She pointed back they way they had come from. “Tattle stopped with her back there, to get some food. I...” she glanced over, saw Warren standing there, and fidgeted slightly. “I... just wanted to get here. So I came ahead.”

Grue nodded, glancing in my direction, then we all settled in to wait for Tattle and Kelsey in awkward silence. They came along shortly, Kelsey pressed up against Tattle's side under her umbrella.

“Someone's got cozy,” Regent snarked.

“Shut it,” Grue said. “I'm sure if Tattle trusts her like that, then everything is fine.”

“I don't know,” Taylor said uneasily.

They fell silent, until they got there, then the Undersiders slipped into the back of the warehouse to confer. Kelsey walked over to him, and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Did you... um. Save my money?”

He nodded, and pulled out the envelope, handing it over. She checked it, smiled, and then handed it back. “Hang on to it for me till we're done here, I don't have any pockets. Please.” He nodded, and tucked it back away. “Sorry I blew up your temporary projector.”

He shrugged. It didn't bother him, really. He figured she would make good on her promise to make a new one.

“I'll make a good one, promise.”

He shrugged again, thought process confirmed.

“I have a question.” He glanced in her direction. “Before, you said I looked younger than you remembered. I feel older than I look. Why am I younger?”

He growled. He wanted to tell her. He tried, trying to will his mouth into moving, to form the words. _Because you and I live in a different world. We made characters to write a story. We went to sleep and woke up here. I'm not sure how, or why... but we're here. And we have the lives of the characters we created. We live in this fictional universe, but it's not so fictitious now that we're in it._ Instead, what came was, “I can't say.”

“You mean you don't know, or you can't physically say it?”

He shrugged, unable to form any more words in reaction to it. She sighed, and walked over, sitting against the wall. As she did so, she gave him yet another look under her skirt, at her little panties. After thinking so long and hard about how to fuck Bitch into submission on the way here, seeing that was hard to resist. He felt the temptation to step over to her, pick her up, hold her against the wall and force his cock into her... but he refrained. Her eyes met his, and he realized she had caught him looking. Not saying anything, he simply settled in across from her to wait, and she smiled at him coyly. Did she like him looking at her? He hadn't hit her with his power, he was pretty sure. Just Panacea. He would have to wait and see how that turned out.

Grue and Tattle eventually returned to the two of them. “Here's the deal,” Grue said. “We'll give you two a trial run, for helping us out. You stay here, where we can keep an eye on you, and agree to any restrictions Tattletale needs to make sure you're not going to betray us. Take it or leave it.”

Kelsey agreed immediately, all smiles.

He rose to his feet. There was no way he could just leave her here, alone in this world. “Taken.”

“Well then,” Grue said, and reached up, pulling his mask off. “I'm Brian. Welcome to the Undersiders.”

Tattle took them upstairs, and introduced them briefly. He unconsciously tuned her out, focusing on his plan for Bitch, until he realized she had asked him his name.

“Warren is fine. For now.”

“We'll have to get you a cape name, too,” Tattletale said. “Just seems to make it a little easier. Sorry, but we don't really have a room for you, but Grue has said we can put up some new partitions on the other side of this wall, and build you a space. Tonight, you'll have to settle for a couch. Tomorrow we can get the furniture and materials for you.”

“It's fine. Couches are good.”

She nodded, dismissing herself. Kelsey tailed after her, heading back to their room. He watched them go, then moved down the hallway himself to Bitch's room, finding it with his nose. He knocked on the door.

“What?” she demanded.

“I want to ask you something,” he growled in response. There was a pause, a long delay, then finally the door opened, and she glared up at him.

“What the fuck you want?”

He glanced around them. Taylor was watching from nearby, but staying silent. “Was wondering if you would come downstairs. Want to try something.”

“What?” she demanded, not moving.

“Your power. Works on dogs.” She nodded. “Want to see if it works on me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You're not a dog.”

He looked down at himself. “Appearances beg to differ.”

She paused for a moment, then Taylor cleared her throat, standing slightly behind us. “It might be useful, you know. See if it does work.”

Bitch glared at her. “What the fuck do you care?”

Taylor shrugged. “Just seems like if it does, and he can still use his other powers, might be useful if we get in a fight with someone like Glory Girl again.”

“Will you leave me alone if it doesn't?”

He nodded, and she shut the door behind her, locking her dogs in, and stomped off, heading downstairs. He followed along behind her, noting that Taylor tagged along behind, trying to remain unnoticed.

They moved to a large open area, down on the first floor, and squared off, facing one another. Taylor crouched at the top of the stairs, watching, but keeping her distance. He had the vague impression that she was probably monitoring them with bugs around them somewhere as well, just in case something unexpected happened.

“Okay,” Warren growled, taking off his trenchcoat and laying it aside carefully. Afterall, it did still have Kelsey's cash in it. “Do it.”

Bitch looked at him intensely, then nodded.

Nothing happened, and she frowned, stepping forward and laying one hand on his chest. She held it for a moment, then stepped back. “No. Not going to happen.” She turned to leave, but he caught her arm, at the same time hitting her hard with his sexual power, pouring it into her. She gasped, at first moving to shake him off or hit him, or both, but instead felt the pure lust he inspired pouring through her, and allowed him to pull her against his chest, his arm wrapping around her and pinning her in place. She looked up at him, mouth hanging open.

“What the fuck,” she whispered. He licked her, from her neck all the way up to her mouth, his tongue teasing across her lips. She shivered, and he focused another wave of his ability into her, knowing it would be breaking through her walls and barriers, shattering her defenses.

“With dogs, there are ranks,” he growled. “I am a wolf. In a wolf pack there is the alpha male, and he has his beta female. This is our pack. I am the alpha male. You are my beta female.” She pushed against his chest, trying to back away. He tightened his arm around her, his hand dropping down to her ass, squeezing it. “You are mine, you will follow my orders.” He squeezed her ass tightly, then pushed her back enough to grab her jacket, ripping it off. “Your power doesn't work on me, so you can't be alpha. We needed to figure this out first, get this out of the way, so it doesn't become a problem in the field. Now, you will submit to me.”

She shook her head slightly, trying to fight his influence, even as she let him undo her baggy cargo pants, and push them down. She was wearing boys' boxers underneath. He grabbed them next, yanking them down as well. She wasn't shaved, underneath, but her pubic hair wasn't thick, out of control, either. Sparse, but dark. He could see the cleft of her sex between her legs, and spun her around, bending her over one of the workbenches. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw Taylor watching, one hand over her mouth. His lips curled in a feral grin, enjoying the fact that she was there, watching, seeing this.

Bitch pushed her hips back against him suddenly, giving in, submitting, letting the lust wash through her. He could smell her arousal, knew she was already wet, wanting. Submitting turned her on even more. With his sexual ability, he could “tune in” so to speak to her sexual sense, and enhance it, heightening her desire and lust for him. He did so again, and she pushed her hips back into his groin, rubbing against him, getting him hard for her.

He placed one hand on her back, and pushed her down against the counter, holding her in place while he undid his jeans with the other, opening them and pushing them down around his thighs, freeing his cock, which was only about half hard, then allowed her to rub her ass back against him again, grinding his cock along the cleft of her ass.

Taylor, still watching from above, could barely believe what she was seeing, and what was even worse... she was getting turned on by it. When he turned and met her eyes, she felt her cheeks flame red, but couldn't bring herself to look away, to hide, to run, to do anything but sit and look on in shocked silence.

Warren grabbed Bitch's hips, pulling her back, bringing her ass up higher with his one hand, then took his cock, and pushed the head down, until it was pressing against her pussy lips, slowly pushing them apart, spreading her open as he prepared to take her. Bitch, for her part, was dormant and submissive now, letting him do as he would with her cheek pressed against the hardwood of the counter, her breasts mashed against it as well as he held her down, and forced his large cock into her small opening.

She wasn't a virgin... no, she had lost that a long time ago, and to rather violent circumstances, and had since then had sex with both other men and even let her dogs fuck her on occasion, when she got too horny and didn't want to deal with people and their possible rejection. But this was different. This was about dominance, about asserting one's self, and she realized two things about it while his cock invaded her body, filling her, stretching her out...

One, she liked it. She liked giving up that constantly fighting for the top attitude, and letting herself submit to someone else. Especially someone that understood the hierarchy, and knew both of their places within it. And two, she just really liked getting fucked.

Warren's hips met Bitch's with his cock fully sheathed within her, and then he began to move, hammering his cock in and out of her. Bitch moaned and arched her back, pushing her ass up to take him in deeper, her pussy getting wetter the more he fucked her, tighter as he drove her pleasure and passion up and up... she couldn't believe it was happening, yet wanted it more than anything in the world. She came before him, crying out, gasping and panting for breath while he just continued to hammer his cock into her body, using her like she was nothing but his personal fucktoy, turning his head again to hold Taylor's gaze. She stared in awe, lust, arousal... and he could read it, plain as day on her face. He touched her with his power, just lightly, like he had with Panacea, just to cement the idea in her mind that she wanted to take Bitch's place. She wanted to feel him fuck her, use her, cum on and in her...

He growled and shoved his hips forward harder, driving his cock deep within Bitch as he came, his cum shooting into her hard, filling her up, overflowing over his cock and running down her legs. He sagged as he pulled back, glad at that particular moment that he didn't have a typical canine cock, as well. Knotting, as enjoyable as it might have been, would also be rather inconvenient in several situations. He slapped her ass, and let her up.

Bitch slipped off the counter, turning and looking down at the mess he had made between her legs with a grimace. “Did you have to cum in me? Fuck.”

Warren nodded. “Yes.”

“What if I get pregnant, you fuck?” she growled.

He shook his head at her. “I don't think I'm particularly fertile, anymore. With this body. Not typically human, you'll notice.”

She growled, and wiped up a bit of his cum from her thigh, and before she realized it, she raised the finger to her mouth, tasting him. She jerked as she realized what she had done, and shot him another glare, pulling up her boxers and pants, picking up her jacket.

“Suppose you'll want to do this again.”

Warren nodded. “Eventually. You're mine, remember.”

She growled, but offered no further argument, heading back up to her rooms, glaring at Taylor as she stalked past her.

He moved up the stairs until he was standing before Taylor. She studied the ground between his feet intently, until he crouched down, and with one finger under her chin, raised her to look at him. She was blushing fiercely. “I won't hurt you,” he growled, trying once again to lighten and soften his voice. “Don't worry.”

“I'm not worried,” she protested. “I just...”

“You're worried,” he said bluntly. “You're feeling things you haven't before. It's normal. Just know, I'm not here to hurt you, in any way.” He stated the last with feeling, trying to impart some type of sympathy, some type of empathy to her situation. He knew what she was doing, what she was going through, the mental struggles about her station, her plans... he could only wonder if his presence, if Kelsey's, would affect her end decision eventually to stay with the Undersiders, but at the same time, he wanted her to feel like he was an ally, a friend.

She looked away, rising to her feet. “I should... take a shower.”

He nodded, and let her go.

* * * * * * *

When the next day rolled around, Warren went to check on Kelsey, not having seen her since she disappeared into Tattle's room the previous day. Stepping up to her door, he knocked gently, and heard Kelsey mumble something, then call out sleepily “Who is it?”

Before he could answer, Tattle answered, “It's your wolf friend. Warren. Right? Yeah. Warren.”

“Oh,” Kelsey muttered. There was the sound of rustling, like clothes, then she opened the door. Her hair was all mussed up, hanging over her face, and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her fists. “What's up?” she asked. She was wearing what was obviously one of Tattle's shirts, hanging loosely on her smaller form and stopping around midthigh. He was actually somewhat surprised to see the difference wasn't even greater; Tattle was rather small and petite, it seemed, so they went well together, for the most part.

“Here,” he said, holding up the envelope with her money.

“Oh, cool!” she brightened at once, taking it from him. She turned to Tattle. “Hey, can I borrow your laptop?”

“So long as you don't turn it into anything, sure,” Tattle said with her customary smirk.

Kelsey rolled her eyes at her, and picked up the laptop, hopping up on the edge of the bed and setting it on her thighs, thumbing it open and turning it on. “I'm gonna build Warren a projector,” she said proudly to Tattle, who was brushing her hair in her mirror, and turned to glance at the girl over her shoulder.

“How do you do that?”

“Pretty easy. Get a bunch of parts, have them shipped... well. Somewhere. That may be a problem... and then put them together.”

“You should ask Grue to buy them, in his name. Have them shipped to his apartment. As long as it's nothing dangerous, I don't think he'd have a problem with it.”

“Good idea!” she bounced back to her feet, holding Tattle's laptop in both hands, and brushed past Warren, heading into the main living area. Grue was sparring with Regent, who obviously had zero motivation to be doing anything of the sort. Taylor had went home, but Brian had said she would be back after school. Warren padded after Kelsey.

“Sure,” Brian was agreeing to what Kelsey had asked. “Do you know what parts you need?”

“Yep, already came up with a list. Here.” She handed him the laptop, and they sat down next to one another so she could help pick everything out. Brian let out a low whistle when he saw the total. “You have that much money?”

“Yep.” Kelsey held up the envelope in one hand. “What's the total with shipping? Is it okay if I give you cash? If you want I can just do an account transfer instead. I have that much left in the bank.”

“Wait, you have that much in cash on you right now, and that much in the bank, and you're... how old?”

She rolled her eyes. Warren noted she was exceptionally good at that display of emotion.

“Doesn't matter. I have money, okay?” she glanced inside the envelope, and her eyes widened. “Apparently more than even I thought I had. Wow. Hey, I need a costume, right?”

“There's better ways to get those types of materials,” Tattletale said, stepping into the room.

Warren turned to look at her. “Can I get some things too?”

Tattle glanced at him. “Depends, can you afford it?”

He turned up his hands in a shrug. “Guess not.”

“I can get it. Don't worry about it,” Kelsey cut off his protest. “I really don't mind. I like helping.”

He frowned at her, but didn't argue. Tattle sat next to her on her other side. He definitely didn't miss the way Kelsey slightly leaned towards her, their legs touching, as Tattle leaned over to see the laptop, and check the list of items. The three of them were discussing the best way to buy the items, and settled on an account transfer of funds. They did that online, then bought the materials for the projector. Then Tattle picked up her phone, and started texting about the costuming materials, checking on what would be available and how soon, cost, and everything else.

“Good news,” she said after a flurry of texts. Warren and Kelsey both looked at her. “Boss says he can get the items we talked about today, for reasonable cost. No mark-up or the like.” She glanced between the two of them. “You'll just... ahh... need to come up with a list of what you want.”

Kelsey frowned. “I hadn't thought about it. Um. I need tools, to make thing first. Solder iron, water jet, laser cutters...” she droned on, but he tuned her out, watching Grue, Regent, and Tattletale instead. Grue seemed really interested, asking her questions if she could make this or that. Kelsey seemed to get a little flustered by it, saying she would have to find out, to play with things for a bit, but that her first priority would be to create some type of armor and protection for herself. He figured that was a good idea; she was a little girl, after all. Vulnerable. He could make armor for himself out of his conjuration abilities, as well as weapons, so he wasn't concerned in that department. He was more interested in trying to find a way to not be blind if Grue used his darkness around him. Tattle was busy jotting down notes, making a long list, and was mostly quiet, but did ask if Kelsey would be able to upgrade her laptop at some point. Kelsey readily agreed.

Time passed, and then Brian checked the clock, and stood up. “Get that list in to the boss, Lisa. Kelsey here will need it back as soon as possible. Also, Taylor should be here soon. Let's head down, meet her, and head to the Boardwalk. We have some time before we transfer the money.”

Warren glanced around. “Uh...”

Kelsey glanced up at him, and bit her lip, then looked at Brian. “Do you have any spare phones? I could make another temporary projector for Warren, so he could come with.”

Brian shook his head. “Sorry, no. The ones I have, we need. Speaking of phones, I'll need to buy both of you a team phone, so we can keep in touch. It's part of our method. But, Warren, I actually have a job for you.” He looked up, meeting Brian's eyes. “Bitch isn't coming with the rest of us, either. I want you to go with her, she's going to meet us at the Docks for the swap.”

He nodded. “I can do that.”

Brian nodded. “Excellent. That's settled then. Ah, Kelsey, you'll probably want to hop in a quick shower, and see if Tattle has anything that might fit you better.”

Kelsey glanced down at herself, still dressed only in a shirt. “Oh. Right.” She darted off to the shower quickly. Lisa watched her go, and sighed.

“I'll go see what I can find. I was planning on taking Taylor shopping, we can buy her some new clothes too.”

Warren went to Bitch's room, and knocked again. She answered the door much quicker this time. “Brian says I'm with you today.”

She growled, but nodded. “Fine. Let's go.”

And she pushed past him, heading out, just like that. Her dogs trailed after her, all three with their tails wagging. Shaking his head, he followed after her.

 


	3. Chapter 3

I glared at the shower head. It was being far from cooperative. I figured this had to be an “entirety of Brockton Bay” problem, water heaters not functioning correctly, plumbing in general sucking... I would have to see what I could do for the loft once my tools showed up later. I was pretty sure I could pull apart the current water heater, have it fixed and running better than ever with pretty minimal effort; they were pretty basic, from what I understood, but then again, I wouldn't really know until I pulled it apart and started evaluating it.

So, for the moment, I danced and twisted under the cold spray of water, getting my hair wet, borrowing some shampoo that was left in there, washing it quickly, then turned it off, and hopped out, dripping wet and shivering, when I remembered I didn't have a towel, nor have any clue where they were. I glanced around, but the bathroom was rather utilitarian, no extra space or closets. I closed my eyes, grimacing. I would have to put the shirt back on and head out, trying to keep it from sticking to me, to ask for help...

“Hey,” Tattle called through the door, knocking. “Let me in.”

“I'm... uh...”

“I know,” she cut me off, and I could hear the smirk in her voice. I rolled my eyes, and opened the door, hiding behind it while she slipped in, and then closed it behind her. When I turned to look at her, she smiled and winked at me. My cheeks flamed, and she held up a towel. I wrapped it around myself, trying to stop shivering, and she handed me a second, smaller one, for my hair. It was so awesome, having a girl get you things. Girls knew what girls needed. Ask a guy for a towel, you were liking to receive a paper towel instead. They just didn't have any sense in their heads.

“Sorry I don't have any clothes that will really fit you, but we're going shopping anyway, so first place we stop at, we can get you something to wear, okay?” I nodded, wrapping the second towel around my hair and squeezing it dry. “I found some old shorts of mine, they might do for the meantime. With a belt. And this shirt, we can tie it, so it doesn't hang down, it won't look too bad.”

“Thanks, Lisa,” I said, sincerely. Even counting the night before, spent in her arms after she had done such amazing things, I had never had anyone be this nice to me before. It totally flew in the face of her whole “villain” role. I didn't pretend to understand why, I just enjoyed it.

“No problem,” she said, and lifted my chin, making me look at her as she bent and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Anything for my girl.”

My tummy did a little flip. “I'm yours?”

“Totally.”

I pretended to think about it a moment, tapping my chin with a finger. “Hmmm...” she laughed, and put the clothes on the counter. “Hurry and get dressed, we're leaving soon.”

I nodded, and finished drying off, pulling on the shorts first. It felt weird to put them on without anything under them, as they fit rather loosely and I knew if I were to sit wrong, the leg would gape open, and anyone would be able to see right up them... but after pulling the belt around my waist, I was happy to notice they weren't all that much too big, and pulled the shirt over my head, and tied a knot in it on my hip. It resulted in pulling the shirt up just a little on my other side, so there was an inch or two of bare skin showing between the bottom of the shirt and the shorts, but all in all, I liked it, and headed back to our room, pulled on my shoes, and headed out. The rest were already downstairs, waiting for Taylor, so I went down, and Brian looked me over quickly.

“Have a question for you. It's important.”

“What's up?” I asked, biting my lip as I pulled my scrunchie out of my pocket and started pulling my long hair into a ponytail again.

“You originally said the PRT wanted you, and that was why you wanted to come with us. We've offered you a place here, and that's not going to change, but we're about to go into public with you. How recognizable are you to the PRT? Are they actively looking for you? What did you do?”

“That's three questions,” I pointed out, trying to make a joke. No one laughed, though Lisa did give me a smile, and a slight shake of her head. “Sorry. Um, not very. Unless Dragon happens to be there, running active comparisons. I didn't want direct involvement with the Wards or any officers, because they might take pictures, or statements, and Dragon would find them in the system, and then... well. Okay. Let me start from the beginning, okay?”

Brian nodded. “That sounds best.”

“So, a couple years ago, I was on my dad's computer, and somehow, kind of... accidentally hacked into one of Dragon's websites. I didn't know it was hers, at first. It was a front website, one of the fake ones that they make to trap people, you know the kind?” General nods. “Well, I was actually going to take it offline, because I don't think those types of sites are fair, and I guess you could call it the first time I tried to do anything with my powers. Well. When I got into it, I found some of Dragon's code, and she reacted way too fast to my intrusion. She knew I was in the system the second I was in it, but I was still able to fend off her firewalls for a bit, and download some key information.”

“How is it Dragon didn't trace the IP and launch a PRT operation against you immediately?” Brian asked.

“Two reasons,” I explained. “One, I was on my dad's computer. And it was when he still had a job... at his workplace.”

“Public terminal,” Lisa input.

I nodded. “Exactly. So, she did, and the PRT did show up. But I had downloaded the information to a jumpdrive, and we had already left. The PRT raided the shop, shut it down, arrested everyone. They came to our house, they took my dad. Long story short, they had to let him go, lack of evidence against him. Dragon knew someone had done it, however, but didn't know who, precisely. Well, my dad ended up losing his job over it, and he knew it was me. It's why I haven't been allowed to touch anything when he's around anymore. But when he hasn't been, I've sold bits and pieces of the information I downloaded on Dragon. I know a few things about her, things she doesn't want to get out.”

“That's how you made your money? Selling information stolen from Dragon?” Brian asked.

Lisa laughed. “Oh, that is brilliant. Just... brilliant.”

I nodded, smiling at Lisa. I liked that she thought I was smart. I liked that she approved of me, at least in some manner. “Dragon tries to trace every sale I've done. So far, I know she knows two things: I'm a kid, and I'm female. I just want to stay out of their attention as much as possible.”

“So, they're not going to sweep down on us if they see you in public.”

I shook my head. “I've been going to school normally ever since, and nothing bad has happened. They don't know who I am. Yet. I figure it's a matter of time before they crack it, but I hope to be able to defend myself when they do.”

Brian nodded. “We can deal with that. Lisa, all true?”

Lisa nodded. “Yeah. She's telling the truth.”

I smiled again. Brian actually smiled back, and relaxed a little. Maybe he would start to open up a little to me, and get Taylor to do the same. “Alright. Hey, there's Taylor.”

We all looked up, and sure enough, she was walking towards us, looking a little... lonely, but still stand-offish, unapproachable. She was just awkward enough for me to want to reach out to her, but defensive and push-away enough that I was afraid to try, for fear of making her hate me.

“You weren't waiting long?” she asked, glancing around the group. Her eyes lingered on Lisa and Brian, then flickered past Regent, then landed on me, and froze for a moment. She looked around again, as if looking for Warren or Bitch, and a little bit of heat suffused her cheeks. Wondering what that was about, I missed Brian's reply, but Lisa tapped me on the shoulder as we headed out, and I fell into step next to her, following as we walked over to the Boardwalk.

I quickly noticed as we walked that the shorts were a bit looser than I had believed them to be. I had to stop frequently and pull them up, or risk mooning—or worse—the group and any other bystanders. Taylor noticed, and glanced at Lisa. “Aren't those your clothes?”

Lisa nodded. “She has to buy new ones. That's part of why we're here. Also, to eat. We're hungry.”

“Where are we going?” I asked eagerly, pulling up the back of my shorts again. Lisa watched, and giggled.

“Me and you are going shopping. We'll catch them after for food. You wanna come with?” she asked Taylor.

Taylor opened her mouth, but didn't reply immediately. Lisa apparently made up her mind, slipping her arm though hers, and taking my hand in her other, putting her squarely between the two of us. “Too late, you're being stolen. Off we go!”

“You're a jerk,” Brian said, with a slight frown, but I could sense his teasing manner under it. “Hogging not one, but both of the new girls to yourself?”

“Says the guy who wakes up early to buy her breakfast and coffee in the morning. Deal,” Lisa retorted. “Also, part of the perks of just being female.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

Brian sighed, raising his hands in a ward-off gesture. “Fine, fine. Fugly's for dinner?”

“I'm down,” Regent said.

“Sounds good,” Lisa said, then lead the two of us away.

We were on the edge of the market, which was perhaps the richest portion of Brockton Bay. It was weird that the market and Boardwalk were literally only a couple of streets over from the Docks, which was perhaps the poorest, but at the same time, it made sense. There was the view here to consider, of the harbor, the water stretching away to the flat horizon in the distance, the general shape of the land, the lay of the flow of commerce through the city... I had only been here once before, and it hadn't been to buy anything, that was for sure. My dad had brought me with him once before to drop off a repair job he had had. We had ended up running from the place, as the man tried to turn on his computer and it exploded into flames and sparks, and he chased out of the building demanding a refund for about two blocks. I pursed my lips. It was definitely better being her with Lisa and Taylor.

“I don't need new clothes,” Taylor said in protest as we left earshot of the other two. I glanced in her direction, and smiled slightly. She noticed me, and looked away. I frowned. Why did she distrust me so? It almost hurt.

“So? You're going to let me buy you some anyway.”

“I am?”

“Yep.” Lisa nodded, and we headed towards one of the fancier stores in the area, with a lot of modern clothes selections. I let go of Lisa's hand, and stopped outside. She turned to me. “What's up?”

“I can wait here,” I said simply.

Lisa blinked at me. “Why?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “You want to spend time with her... Taylor. I'll leave you two alone for a bit.”

She smiled, and waved Taylor into the store. “Start looking at some jeans, I'll be right there.” Taylor walked in, looking at me the entire time. I looked away this time. “What's wrong?” she asked as soon as Taylor was inside.

I shrugged. “She doesn't like me. I don't know why... so I'll wait here, so you two can talk without her hiding things because I'm there.”

Lisa smiled at me. “You're sweet, you know that? I don't know what you're doing joining a team of villains. You seem much more oriented towards a different lifestyle. But, part of why I brought both of you is because of that very reason. Taylor's a bit of a scarred individual. She needs to see you, being you. How sweet you are. It's why I like you,” she said, and touched my cheek softly. “And it's why she will, too.”

I shrugged again. “I don't think this store will have clothes for me, anyway.”

“So, the next one we go to will be for you. Please, come in with us?”

I bit my lip, looking up at her, then glanced around. No one was immediately around us, or looking in our direction, so I stole the moment and leaned forward, pressing my lips to hers quickly, then pulled back with a smile, which she returned. “Okay.”

She smiled back, and I followed her inside, tugging up my shorts again. We found Taylor standing and staring at the jeans racks, shaking her head slightly as she looked at them. “Lisa, these are... they're not me.”

Lisa smiled, and grabbed a few pair, eyeing Taylor, then grabbed some of a different size, then a couple dresses, and some tops... she was like a whirlwind of activity, gathering up a bunch and then ushering Taylor to the back, the two of them talking all the while. I paid attention, mostly, and focused on keeping my shorts from falling around my ankles. They talked about Taylor mostly, who kept giving me little glances. I just smiled, and tried to be complementary when she came out of the dressing room in one of the dresses, remarking on how pretty it made her eyes look. She blushed a little, and then Lisa ushered he back in to try on something else, talking about her dad, and how she had originally assumed the state of her wardrobe was due to neglect or parental abuse.

I idly wondered what Lisa would think if she saw mine. Excepting the clothes that I had worn the day before, I had very, very little. My dad was terrible at buying girls' clothes and usually bought me terrible band shirts, or jeans that were either way too small, or far too large. He had no idea what sizes to buy, and refused to take me shopping even for myself, when he could afford to do so. The result was my wardrobe mainly consisted of garage sales pickups I could find while walking to and from school. I had never been even thought about buying myself clothes before.

Then Lisa offered to help Taylor, with her problems, which they had narrowed down to issues at school, and even I could feel the tense air flowing off of Taylor in cold waves. “You interfere, and I'm gone,” Taylor said after a long moment, opening the dressing room to the two of us. I could also see the hurt plain on Lisa's face, and felt a spark of anger.

“That's a fine way to act,” I snapped. Taylor stared at me, and Lisa made to soothe me, raising a hand, but I stepped forward. “Lisa's offering to help you. You don't even know how. Maybe by just being a friend? A real one? One that you can listen to, confide in. And you're going to throw that in her face when she's doing something nice for you? Real graceful.”

“What would you know?” she snapped in retailation.

Lisa put herself physically between us. “Hey, let's all calm down here. Taylor, you don't want my help, I can respect that. We can let it go.”

“You shouldn't have to,” I protested. “Not about the not helping, that's fine. Whatever. She wants to handle it herself, that's cool. Fine. But she's part of this group, and she's going to throw your offer in your face?”

“It's fine,” Lisa stressed, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Really. I can handle it.”

I glared at Taylor. “You're just mad because you've been bullied or whatever. Well, you're not the only one that has a shitty life, so get over it. You don't want to trust Lisa and accept her offer of friendship? Then you can't be my friend, either.”

Taylor stared at me, her mouth open but no sound coming out. Then, as Lisa watched her, tense, ready to apologize or jump in the way if she moved to hit me, whichever happened, Taylor's shoulders slumped. “To think, she's half our age and smarter than me,” she said.

That was not the response I had expected, and went with a “I'm not a kid,” generic statement, trying to find words.

“No, I guess you're not. I'm sorry, Lisa. That was really rude of me.”

“It's fine, really. I'm okay.” She smiled brightly. “If you don't want my help, I won't do a thing.”

Taylor nodded. “I just want to handle this myself, without lowering myself to their level.”

“Perfectly respectable.”

“I appreciate it though. I haven't... had a real friend... in a long time. I'm not good at this.”

“It's okay,” I said. “That's what we're here for.”

Lisa smiled, and slipped her arm around my shoulders in a one-armed hug. I slipped my own around her waist, returning it, then caught my shorts with my other hand while they tried to slip down my legs. “Ah dammit.”

“Language,” Lisa admonished, and I blushed.

“Sorry.”

They gathered up a bunch of the things Lisa had picked for Taylor, and Lisa paid for them, and we slipped out, heading down to a different store, one made not only for adults.

“What kind of stuff do you need?” Lisa asked me. Taylor held the bags while we walked down the aisles.

“Um... everything?” I said lamely.

Lisa glanced at me sideways. “Let me guess, your clothes are as bad as Taylor's, aren't they.”

“Um.... yes?” I smiled, and she sighed, but smiled back. “Okay, let's start with necessities. I get the feeling you don't want to go home any time soon.”

“Nope. But I do need to contact my dad so the police aren't looking for me tonight.”

“I can have the boss handle it, if you'd like.”

“That'd be awesome!”

She smiled, and picked up some underwear, a few training bras, some skirts, some shorts, some jeans, leggings, tops, dresses.. the whole works, then ushered me to the dressing room with the huge pile.

“Try everything on, make sure it all fits.”

“Mmkay. But, hey, you're not paying for mine.”

She just smiled at me, and shut the door.

It took me quite a while to try on everything, but once I had, I had picked out a new outfit to wear out as well, the old clothes bundled up under one arm, and everything else divided into two piles. The “fit” pile was considerably larger than the other. I took the fit pile up to the front, and had the cashier ring everything up quickly while Taylor and Lisa put the rest away, then pulled out my envelope of money, and paid quickly. By the time they came up, I was holding several bags, waiting for them.

We fell into step together, heading towards Fugly Bob's, and found Brian and Alec waiting out front for us.

“Wow, did you leave anything for anyone else?” Brian asked, glancing over the bags we were carrying.

I grinned. “Nope. All mine!”

He shook his head, and lead the way in. We ended up sitting outside, since it was pretty empty, and we were alone, able to speak freely. They talked pretty easily, joking, laughing. Lisa kept her hand on me, in one shape or form, most of the night, either resting it on my shoulder, or on my thigh under the table, gently rubbing it. I slipped my hand over hers, and curled my fingers around hers, holding her hand tightly. She gave me a smile.

Taylor ended up telling us about her trigger event, and then Brian. I wasn't willing or ready to go into mine. While it hadn't been overly traumatic, thinking about it made me panic, made me need to get out of wherever I was before it became confining in my mind. It seemed neither Lisa or Alec wanted to share either, and we were walking back towards the Docks soon, swinging by the Loft briefly to drop off the shopping bags, and so the others could get into costume. I borrowed one of Lisa's spares, for the moment, not having one of my own yet. My tools had been delivered as well, so I figured once we got back, I would spend most of the night fiddling with it. Lisa also called the boss, and asked him to handle my father. She flashed me a thumbs up about it, then we were heading down to meet Bitch and Warren, so they could hand the money off to their boss from the bank robbery.

About halfway there, the ground rumbled underfoot, and we all heard the roar of an explosion. We glanced at one another, then took off at a run in the direction it had come from.

“Call Bitch!” Grue shouted. Tattle whipped out her phone, still on the run, and did just that.

“No answer!” She called back a second later.

“Fuck!” Grue swore.

We ran. I quickly realized how entirely out of shape I was for this, and wasn't entirely alone in it. Both Regent and Tattle began to lag behind Taylor and Grue, who ran ahead of us, hurrying in.

“I swear, I'm going to build myself a flier. Fuck running,” I panted, and Regent laughed.

“Build me one too.”

“And me,” Tattle groaned, pushing herself to run harder.

Luckily, it wasn't all that far, and as Grue and Taylor rounded the corner, nearly in stride with one another, we were only about twenty or thirty yards back. But, as it turned out, that was just far enough to be clear. Another explosion ripped the storage container just ahead of Grue and Taylor to shreds, tossing them both like dolls backwards. They rolled with the force of the detonation, Taylor coming to a stop against the wall of the next unit, Grue stopping himself and forcing himself to his feet.

About that same moment, one of Bitch's dogs, huge and monstrous again, rolled across the streetway before Grue. It rose to it's feet, turning, just as a second missile streaked into it, slamming directly it's face, throwing it backwards again, tumbling end over end. Grue threw up a wall of darkness, which seemed to absorb some of the force of the explosion. He let it dissipate as I went to Taylor, making sure she was alright. She shook her head, dazed, but straightened up with my help, then got to her feet, leaning on me as I raised her up.

Grue stepped back as a jeep screeched to a halt before him, and a really crazy-looking costumed lady jumped down from the back, tossing a ball—no, that was a grenade—in one hand and catching it. “Well, well, well,” she said, looking over us. “The rest show up.”

“Bakuda,” Tattle said, stepping up. “What are you doing here?”

“Whatever I want,” she snapped.

Behind her, I noticed, the street was slowly filling, men, women, teenagers, even a few youngsters such as myself filing in, each and every one holding a weapon of some type. Some held guns, others knives. I noticed a few machetes, quite a few clubs, some with nails or wrapped with barbwire, baseball bats, basically any type of weapon they could find, it seemed. My eyes narrowed behind Tattle's mask, and my hands clenched into fists. Here I was, without any type of... well... anything, to hand. I looked around, and saw Regent swinging his scepter almost idly, looking across the swelling crowd.

And then Warren jumped into them. He was wrapped in almost complete blackness, only flashes of him showing here and there, and had two large round clubs, one in each hand. He swung them together, knocking three or four of the people together and off their feet, sending them rolling into others. He surged forwards, taking Bakuda by surprise, who barely twisted to the side, not avoiding the full brunt of the attack, taking a hit to the side and rolling, tossing the grenade in her hand. I watched it as if it was moving in slow motion as it bounced right towards Tattletale, who rose her hands, shielding her face, turning and hunkering down...

I warped the area, sending Tattle suddenly fifty yards back. The grenade went off, harmlessly in its own little area, then returned the area to normal. Tattletale blinked as she realized she was unhurt, then flashed a smile in my direction.

Warren rolled to his feet, brandishing his clubs at Bakuda. “Bitch is hurt. Get to her,” he growled at Grue.

“But—” I heard Grue begin to protest, but then Warren was gone, barreling back into the soldiers finally reacting, raising guns to aim at him.

I stood there, watching and evaluating each of Warren's trajectories, and began to assist him. Closing the distance between him and that person, who had been twenty feet away, aiming his gun, now less than a yard away, taking Warren's club to the side of the head and falling ove. Then he returned to his normal place, and another rocketed into his range, jumping in surprise, crying out as Warren clubbed him as well.

We worked in tandem, Warren striking them down as fast as I could warp them in, watching and bringing in priority targets. Others with knives and swords rushing in at his back I warped away until Warren could turn, then I brought them in close. Unable to anticipate my moves, they fell, one by one. Bakuda watched with a mixture of shock and horror, Tattletale stood staring, Taylor still leaning on my shoulder, holding her shoulder with one hand. Grue appeared on the other side of the street, carrying Bitch. I warped the distanced between us and him, and he nodded thankfully at me before I shot it back to normal behind him.

Bakuda jumped into her jeep, raising a launcher, pointing it at Warren, and suddenly found herself several hundred yards away. She fired anyway. I smiled, and warped Warren away, then brought her back in, literally right in front of her own shot. She screamed as she saw her own missile hurtling towards her and tried to scramble away.

Grue threw up a wall of blackness over us, but even through it, the heat and force of the explosion washed over us, knocking me back a step. Taylor staggered and nearly went down, but Tattletale bumped into us, and helped me keep her on her feet.

Grue let the blackness dissipate again, and let out a low whistle at what awaited us. I brought Warren back, and he looked around before letting his weapons vanish. Bakuda was quite clearly dead, half of her head torn away, the rest of her face blackened, flames still licking at her skin. The Jeep was in flames, torn asunder by the force of the explosion. Most of her lackeys that had been around her were in various stages of distress; many were still alive, but had suffered from the explosion. Some were burned, others bleeding from their ears, with concussions and other injuries. I looked over the scene, and felt my gut sink.

I had done that.

I hadn't directly pulled the trigger, but I had caused the explosion there. I could have contained it more, shrunk the area around Bakuda, contained the detonation to just her...

Tattletale laid her hand on my shoulder. “Do _not_ blame yourself,” she said sternly.

“But... I....” I couldn't find the words. I had been so consumed with the moment, in the element, acting without rational thought... tears welled up in my eyes, and ran down my cheeks silently. I had killed people...

I glanced at Bakuda's body again. Her legs had been blown off, her feet incinerated, her arms were torn to shreds, her torso ripped open... she had taken the direct blast, just as I'd designed, putting her right in the way, but... failed so miserably at the containment I couldn't...

“Do _not_ blame yourself!” Tattletale reiterated. “She was trying to kill us, kill Warren, Bitch. Bitch _is_ hurt, Taylor's been knocked around. You saved us.” She looked up at the scattered about minions, some moaning and rolling in pain. “And we need to get out of here. Authorities will be responding to the explosions. Capes.” She squeezed my shoulder. “PRT. C'mon. Let's go.”

Grue nodded, and Warren came over, the blackness that had wrapped around him vanishing away like a fog, revealing a few scrapes, bruises, and a couple of burns. Nothing serious, thankfully. He lifted Bitch easily, cradling her unconscious form in his arms. “Her dogs,” he growled. “I think one might be dead, it took a few hits.”

Tattletale shook her head. “They're alive, I know it. Grue and I will gather the dogs, you two get Taylor and Bitch back to the loft.”

Warren nodded and started off. I couldn't move, still staring at the scene. “Kelsey,” he growled. My eyes flickered to him. Tears were running freely down my cheeks under the mask, dripping off my chin. “Come.”

Deadened, I followed him blindly, Taylor leaning on me, breathing heavily as we walked. She could walk okay, at least. It seemed she had an upper body injury, whatever it was.

“You did save us, you know,” Taylor said after a moment. I was falling behind Warren a little, and it afforded us a little privacy.

I shook my head. “I could have done better. I could... I don't know. I hurt all those people.”

Taylor shook her head. “No, Bakuda did that. You just made sure she didn't hurt us.”

“I could have done more, saved them!” I protested.

Taylor squeezed my shoulders sympathetically. “I admire that, that you're beating yourself up about that. I really do, but at the same time, you didn't fire that missile. You didn't blow them up. It would have hit anyway; you just made sure it didn't hit your friends, and took the threat out at the same time. I listened to you before, and it helped me, so listen to me now. You didn't do anything wrong.”

I sniffed. My tears hadn't stopped, and I began to actually cry, instead of the silent tears, my shoulders shaking as I did so. Taylor dragged us to a stop, and turned me to face her, pulling my face up to look at hers through her mask.

“Don't do this to yourself, okay? I... I'm struggling with things myself. Things that make me hate myself, too. Sometimes, bad things happen for the greater good. Sometimes, they're just bad things. It's better to have a hand in that outcome than to be an innocent bystander and suffer. Instead of Warren getting blown up, it was Bakuda. You did that. You changed this. You did something _good._ ”

I stared into her yellow lenses for a long moment, then threw my arms around her neck, hugging her briefly. She froze, and flinched slightly as I hit her shoulder. I jumped and pulled back, realizing what I had done. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“It's okay. I'm just... I'm not used to that.”

“Me either,” I said softly.

We continued on in silence from that point, all the way back to the loft.

I helped her up the stairs, and to one of the couches. She sat on it, taking a deep breath, and pulled off her mask. I noted with some envy that her costume was mostly untouched, the material durable and resilient. She winced as she lowered her arm, but was able to move it. “Just bruised, I think,” she said. “That's good.”

I sat with her, and stared at the wall blankly, the haunting images of Bakuda's decimated body rolling through my mind. The scattered minions, the moans filling my ears. Without being fully aware of it, I was crying again, and I reached up to wipe my nose, and hit the mask. I pulled it off, and carefully laid it aside. Warren had carried Bitch to her room, and returned to the main room, and crouched in front of me.

“You're okay.” He was so gruff, to the point.

I shook my head slightly, a fresh wave of tears falling from my eyes. “I killed people.”

He cocked his head to the side. “I wasn't aware you fired any missiles.”

“I didn't fire it, but I moved her there... I could have shrunk it, done something, maybe warped into such a tiny place nothing would have happened.”

“And she could have killed you. Blown me up. Or Grue, or Bitch.”

“How is she?”

“Bitch?” I nodded. “She'll be okay. Just knocked out when she fell off of a dog, hit her head on some debris. Maybe a concussion. She's awake now. I told her what happened. She said you did a 'fucking good job of it'.”

I looked away, and shook my head slightly. “I did that, don't you get it?”

“I think it's you that doesn't. You defeated her, by using her own weapons against her. Perhaps if she hadn't been out to kill us, she would still be alive. Have you considered that?”

I paused. I hadn't. If she had been out to disable, to disarm, she would still be alive. It was her  _own_ weapon I had turned on her, after all. I hadn't loaded a particularly deadly missile, or fired it. I had reacted in the heat of the situation. Protected my friend. I put my arms around Warren's furry neck and buried my face in his fur. He was soft, warm. He curled an arm around my shoulders gently, patted my back. “You saved my life.” He chuckled, a weird growling feeling. “Plus, we made a hell of a team up until that point.”

I grinned, despite myself, and looked up at him. “Yeah, we did. I'll be better next time.”

He nodded. “Good. Always be better. Your tools are downstairs.”

“Will you help me bring some things up, to Tattle's room? I want to start working on some things.”

He nodded, and followed me down. I wiped my cheeks, rubbed my eyes. No sooner had we gotten down, when Grue and Tattletale walked in, with the three dogs on leashes. Tattletale came straight to me, and wrapped me in a hug. I hugged her back, tightly.

“Are you alright?” she whispered.

I nodded. “Warren helped me realize I wasn't fully in control of the situation. That I did what I could, and that Bakuda brought it upon herself.” Tattletale nodded, and let me go.

She turned to Warren, and bowed her head. “Thanks.”

He shrugged. “Bitch is upstairs. She's awake, alright. Might have a concussion.”

“I'll go check on her,” Grue said, and took the leash from Tattletale, heading up, pausing only to take his mask off, and offer me a smile. “Oh... and nice job, Kelsey. I know it's hard, what you did, but. You did your best. And honestly? I'm glad you're with us.” He glanced at Warren. “You too. You both bring a lot to the team.”

I smiled back, and he headed up, then turned back to the boxes of materials and tools that were stacked up. “Um. Let's see. Let's get this one, and that one...” I pointed out a few, digging through the contents, and then picked up one myself. Tattletale helped, picking up one, and Warren took two, heading up the stairs after us. We went straight to Tattletale's rooms. The bags with all my clothes were still on the bed, so I stacked the boxes in a semi-circle on the floor, and immediately dropped down, sitting with my legs crossed, and began to dig in them. Warren chuckled and headed out. Tattletale closed the door, and began to pull off her uniform.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she slowly pulled the tight suit off. She was only wearing a pair of spandex shorts and a sportsbra underneath, and made no move to get redressed, grabbing her laptop, turning on some music, and sitting on the bed, watching me. I moved so my back rested against her legs, and she reached down, rubbing my neck, then laid on her side. I turned to look at her, and she stroked my cheek softly.

“Your eyes are all red,” she said softly.

“I was crying,” I explained.

She nodded. “I know. But you shouldn't have to cry.” I looked at her for a long moment.

“I have a lot of work to do, but all I want to do is kiss you,” I whispered.

She smiled. “Same.”

I turned and climbed into the bed. She shut her laptop and pushed it aside, atop the bags at the foot of the bed, and stretched under me as I crawled over her, kissing her cheek, then her lips, opening her mouth with mine, sliding my tongue into her mouth. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down atop her. It was different than last time; last time, she had been above me, and still clothed. Now I was still clothed, and she was mostly bare. I could feel her smooth skin under my hand on her side, running lightly up and down from her hip to the bottom strap of her sportsbra. She arched up as I got brave, and put my hand over her breast, giving it a soft squeeze. She had breasts, where I didn't yet... not that they were overly large. They were perfect, to me though. I sucked her tongue into my mouth, sealing my lips around it, enjoying the way she curled and twisted it within my mouth around my own as I sucked. She sat up slightly, and reached down, grabbing the edge of her bra, and pulled it up, then broke the kiss long enough to cast it away over her head, and then resumed kissing me, pulling me back down. My hand came down on her bare breast, and I felt her nipple contract and harden in my palm as I kneaded the soft flesh. I swung my leg over her hip, straddling her tummy, and put my other hand over her other breast, now rubbing and squeezing both, taking her nipples between my fingers and gently rolling and tweaking them.

She arched up again, and I licked her neck, scooting backwards a little, kissing her collarbone, nipping and sucking at her skin. Her breasts were visually perfect, small, pert, round and soft, with erect little pink nipples. I lowered my mouth to one, sucking the hard nub into my mouth and rubbing it with my tongue. She gave a “Mmm..” of approval, and her fingers threaded through my hair, pulling most of my ponytail loose, so it hung around my face like a curtain, the soft ends of my hair trailing across her body as I moved to her other nipple and suckled on it, one hand running down her flat, toned belly, tracing circles and lazy figure-eights across her skin, making her shiver as I slowly got lower and lower...

My fingers rubbed against the waistband of her shorts, and I scooted back some more. Then, I bit my lip, looking up at her, and got off of her, kneeling at her feet, and reached up, grabbing the waist band, and pulled them down slowly. They turned inside-out as I pulled the tight fabric down her legs, and she was completely bare underneath. She had shaved her pubic mound into a cute, tiny strip just above her slit, the rest bare. I stared at it closely as she brought her legs up, together, bent at the knees, heels near her bottom, then spread her legs open, inviting me in. I slipped onto my belly before her, lowering myself down to her gorgeous body, her sex parting with the spreading of her legs, letting me peek at the soft pink insides.

I leaned down, and kissed the junction of her thigh and hip, sticking my tongue out and lightly licking up the line of her hip, then kissed my way down her thigh, along the silky smooth inner thigh, back up, to her sex. She was breathing hard already, watching me, propped up on her pillows, her hands clenching the sheets in fists as I exhaled softly across her lips, then stuck my tongue out again, running it lightly down her slit, spreading it more open, and getting my first taste of her.

Her taste exploded in my mouth like a rich nectar; sweet, tangy, full and vibrant, alive and pure, rewarding and just so...  _Lisa._ I stuck my tongue into her pussy deeper, and twisted it about, licking at her hole, feeling her get wetter by the second, a soft little whimper escaping her as she bit her lip to keep from moaning out loud, wiggling my tongue up, between her velvet-soft folds to the top of her slit, finding her clit and teasing it with my tongue before moving back down, and pushing my tongue as far into her as I could, wiggling it around and driving it up and down, back and forth, in and out... she gasped and raised her hips, trying to get me inside of her more, and I slid a finger into her tight passage under my tongue, curling it up, hitting the top of her walls and stroking it while I moved my tongue back up to her clit, teasing and sucking on that tender little nub, making her twist and writhe under me, slowly stroking my finger in and out, curling it up, dragging it out, sliding it in while pressing down, then repeating, over and over. I added a second finger, feeling her walls contract around my small digits. She was tight, so tight... I sucked her clit into my mouth, and pressed against it with my tongue, flicking it lightly, then sucking hard on it.

Lisa came, pushing her hips up hard against me, her hands nearly ripping her sheets as she pulled at that, then sagged back down as the orgasm subsided. I slid my fingers out of her tight little pussy, and glanced at them, wet and shiny with her girlcum. I smiled, and stuck one in my mouth, sucking it clean, with Lisa watching me through her eyelashes. She sat up, and took my hand in hers, brought it to her mouth, and sucked my other finger into her mouth, swirling it around and cleaning it. When she was done, she took my shirt off, then pulled my shorts down and off, leaving me just as naked as she was.

“You're so cute,”she murmured.

“And you're sexy,” I said back. She giggled, and kissed me. I relaxed easily into it, wrapping my arms around her, tangling one in the back of her hair as she thrust her tongue into my mouth, one of her arms around my shoulders, the other reaching down and pulling one of my legs up and over hers, then sliding between my thighs to my pussy. She rubbed it with her fingers, feeling my wetness, and kissed me harder as she slowly, sloooowly slid one finger up inside of me. I moaned into her mouth, no longer caring if someone heard, clenching around her finger as she worked it up within me.

She pulled back for a moment. “You're not a virgin?”

I nodded. “I am... I uh... hymen?” I asked lamely. She nodded. “I uh... broke it. On accident. A couple years ago. Fell off some monkey bars at the park, landed on the log you're supposed to walk on.. doctor said I was lucky that was all that happened.”

“Ah.. okay.” She smiled, and then kissed me again, and pushed her finger in deeper, wiggling it around inside of me, pumping it in and out, rubbing my little clit with her thumb while she fingered me. “Do you like feeling me inside of you?” she whispered, licking my ear. I shivered, and nodded, holding on to her tightly while she moved her finger faster, harder, her thumb pressing in small circles, making me gasp and move my hips in rhythm with her hand. She worked me up quickly, kissing and sucking on my neck, lips, and ears, my hanging hanging open as I panted for breath, clinging to her tightly until I felt the rush and crescendo break over me, my orgasm shattering my thought process and scattering my wits to the winds as I came with a gush of cum on her talented hand. She smirked as she felt it, and pulled her hand away slowly, raising her girlcum-soaked finger between us. I immediately sucked it into my mouth, tasting myself on her, and licked it clean as she had mine.

She smiled, and laid down again, not even bothering to cover up with a sheet. I caught my breath, then slipped down to the floor, pulling the first box of goodies over. She laid on her side, watching me, rubbing my neck and shoulders as I began to pull items out and sort them out by size and type, formulating plans, designs, and ideas in my head.

It was time for me to become more.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Warren followed Bitch to the storage units. She checked on the money, having him wait a few units back, then headed back in his direction, her dogs following along beside her on their leashes. She walked right up to him, then glanced in his direction. He noted the slight heat that colored her cheeks, and the hesitancy with which she spoke. “It's fine. Going to take care of my dogs.”

Warren nodded, and started to follow her. She turned around, looking at him. “What are you doing?”

“Going with.”

She shook her head. “Oh no, you're not. You will piss my dogs off.”

Warren shook his head. “Grue gave orders, gotta follow em.”

She grit her teeth, glaring at him. “You are not fucking going with me!”

Warren stared at her for a moment, then walked right up to her, staring down at her. He was considerably taller than her, and for her to avoid backing up and losing ground, she was forced to crane her neck to look up at him. He glanced at her dogs, then his eyes bore into hers. “Orders are orders.”

She sneered at him. “Fuck your orders. I'm going. Alone.”

Warren sighed. He thought about smacking her, turning her around, bending her over, and having his way with her again, but with her dogs right there, he didn't feel like getting in a fight with her. He was sure she would use them, unwilling as she was to submit right now, and he would be forced to fight her into submission. It was easier to wait for her to be a little more susceptible to it, to want to submit on her own. So he let her go, watching as she turned and stalked off, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do in the meantime. They weren't all due to meet up here for quite a while, and he couldn't exactly just go walk around town, looking like he did.

He frowned, and sat with his back against a wall, watching the street, thinking. Things were feeling a little different to him, warping, changing slowly. He couldn't quite place a finger on the how, or why, or what exactly he was doing, but he knew a few things. One, that he been a normal person, in a normal, even boring, earth. He had met a girl named Kelsey. They had written stories together. And then they had started one on his favorite web serial, and now here he was living that same serial. But the details, the hows, whys, whats, whos, were all becoming a little more fuzzy. The longer it went with him being unable to say a word about who and what he knew about... well, anything outside of the here and now, it seemed, the more the memories became just a little harder to recall, just a little harder to bring into sharp focus.

He had a fear, somewhere deep inside, that this meant this was his life now. That his previous life, whatever had happened to it, was gone and over, that there was only this version of himself left. He couldn't bring himself to say whether or not he liked or disliked that idea. Sure, life wasn't perfect, but then again, who's was? It had still been his life, love it or hate it, and he was pretty attached, seeing as how it was the only one he'd had. What would happen to him when, or if, he forget everything from before entirely? It didn't seem to impact Kelsey negatively. She still seemed like herself, even if she did have somewhat different memories than he had of her from their previous life. She was still that same, perky girl, pretty and ultimately, fuckable. And now she was within his grasp, and he hadn't even made a single move on her yet. He shook his head mentally at himself for that one. How had he not? The way she seemed happy with Tattletale suggested that she had even remembered, on some level, her attraction to Tattletale as a character from her previous self that they had often talked about, and the way she was so at home around her this morning meant to him, at the very least, that she had already had sex with her as well. That meant she still had her sexual desires and urges... how often had she teased him with those, and made him want her? He was willing to bet that if he pressed the issue with her, she would open her slim little girl legs for him, and let him between them.

He stood from where he was sitting and waiting, and began to walk around the storage containers, bored, killing time, trying not to think about anything too depressing or ultimately unfortunate.

“Well. What do we have here?”

He spun, glancing around, then up... and froze for a moment. Glory Girl hovered about ten feet in the air, dressed in her immaculate costume, eyes locked on him. She drifted downwards until her toes touched the ground, then strode forward, seemingly unhurried, leisurely, taking her time. She stopped a few feet away from him. “Who are you?” she asked. “You're not in any database. You don't seem to exist. No one's ever seen you before here in Brockton Bay. So, who are you, and where did you come from?”

Warren stared at her, bracing himself, ready to cast armor or weapons around himself, into his hands, whatever he needed to do. At the same time, almost as a defensive mechanism, his sexual power was going to work, touching her lightly, slowly, a steady, tiny little trickle, just enough to perhaps, hopefully, make her reconsider attacking him if she were inclined to do so before. He shrugged finally at her questions. “Can't say, and you wouldn't believe me even if I could.”

“What makes you say that?” she cocked her head to the side, staring at him, appearing genuinely curious.

Warren growled. “I literally cannot say,” he said roughly, and backed up a step, then heard a small cough behind him, and turned, backing up to keep Glory Girl in sight as he caught sight of Panacea rounding the corner behind him and walking in.

“We don't want to fight you,” Panacea said, shooting Glory Girl a very pointed look. “We just have some questions.”

“I don't know if I have any answers for you,” Warren said.

“Hopefully, you have at least a few,” Glory Girl said. She stepped closer. “You said you couldn't answer my first question. Why?”

He shook his head. Unable to speak about it meant unable to explain, either. “It's complicated,” he finally got out.

Panacea offered him a little smile. “We have time, if you can explain.”

He shook his head again. “Physically cannot say.”

She frowned, and held up a hand. He backed away another few steps, and crouched, one hand held out, ready to summon a weapon of any type. “If you'll permit me, I'd just like to look.”

He shook his head. “I know what you can do,” he growled. “I don't trust you, yet.”

“What can I do to show you I mean no harm?” she asked. “We're genuinely curious. We've been searching the city for you since last night.”

He glanced at Glory Girl, then back at Panacea. “I don't know what your motives are, what you want to know. There's nothing you can do at this time.”

Glory Girl sighed. “We could always just beat the information out of him,” she suggested.

Panacea shook her head fiercely. “No. He stopped when he could have killed me, or you. He apologized. He... touched... me. There's got to be some reason for this.”

“The lick?” he asked. She nodded. He chuckled, a rasping, rough sound. “Would you believe me if I said that was just because you're a beautiful girl? I don't want to be your enemy, in fact I believe we could make very good allies. But we got off on the wrong foot...”

“You might say that,” Glory Girl said flatly. “If by 'wrong foot' you mean, 'accidentally kicked your ass,' that is.”

Warren sighed. “We, that is, my friend and I, needed to get out of there. We had to go the first chance and opportunity we got, and that happened to be with the villains.”

“So you're not with them?”

“Weren't. Are now. Friend joined, had to, to protect her.”

“Her... who is she? What's her name?”

He shook his head. Panacea frowned at him. “We're not with the PRT, did you know that?” He nodded. “Then, if I promise, or vow, to tell no one, not a single other soul anything that you tell us, will you please answer some of my questions?”

He glanced between the two of them. “What do I get out of it?” At the same time, he realized he was still using his sexual power on Glory Girl, and upped the flow. He immediately noticed the slight change in her posture, the way her thighs pressed together, her eyes dilating slightly, the way they roamed over his body...

“What do you want? Money? Protection?”

He shook his head. “No. I want her.” He pointed at Glory Girl.

Panacea, confused by what he meant, shook her head. “I don't understand what you mean.”

“She does.” He looked at Panacea, then touched her with his power, a slow burn that he put there and left there. “If she'll fuck me, I'll answer some of your questions. Those that I can answer.”

Panacea's eyes went wide, but he knew she was also considering a few other things... like, the slow attraction, building upon what he had placed in her mind at the bank, and now escalating and burning in her middle, slowly, but surely. Considering that if Glory Girl went along with it, then she would see her naked, getting fucked... and that would be almost as arousing as it would be jealousy inspiring, as she had a genuine attraction to her sister... The two girls looked at each other. Glory Girl shrugged, then stepped forward.

“Alright then. Where?”

Warren glanced around, spotted a storage unit without a door, with a bench, a table, and a few other items inside. He pointed, and Glory Girl turned and walked there immediately, shrugging out of bits and pieces of her costume as she went. Panacea followed after Warren as he upped the pressure on both girls. By the time he got to Glory Girl, he could see that she was visibly aroused just at the mere thought of being with him now. She bit her lip as she looked at him, then ran a finger down his chest. “It's curious,” she said softly. “A while ago, I wouldn't have even considered the thought of sleeping with you. But now... thinking about it, I can't help but wonder, what's in here?” she asked, her finger slipping over his pants, her hand cupping his groin, tracing the outline of his cock as she gently rubbed it against her palm. “And now, I can't help but think about you being inside of me,” she said coyly, as she undid the top part of her costume, and he reached down, pulling it off over her head, leaving her bare from the waist up. Her breasts weren't small, but neither were they huge. A good handful each, he supposed, cupping them in his furry hands, rubbing her sensitive little nipples with his palms, feeling them harden and contract as he gently squeezed and caressed her breasts.

She licked her lips as she rubbed along his stiffening cock in his pants with her palm, slowly bringing him to full hardness as he massaged her breasts and leaned down, licking her neck with his long tongue, then her ear, making her giggle as he rubbed his nose across her cheek. She kissed his nose quickly, and he licked her lips gently, teasing them open, then sliding his tongue into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she felt how long and prehensile and flexible his tongue was, curling around her own, rubbing across it, dominating her mouth in a most unusual fashion. When they parted, she looked over at her sister, seeing Panacea standing with her back to the wall, biting her lip as she watched the wolf feel up her sister and lick her, sticking his tongue in her mouth...

“Hop up here,” Warren said, patting one of the tables. Glory Girl nimbly hopped up on it, and he slid between her legs, pushing them open, running his hands up her thighs, up under the skirt of her costume. She wore short shorts underneath, but he grabbed those, pulling them down, tossed them aside, and flipped her skirt up, bunching it around her waist, exposing her white and pink panties to both himself and Panacea, making her moan slightly as his tongue licked across and around one nipple as he lowered his head to her chest, tweaking it and rubbing it, then the other, repeating the same treatment before he crouched lower, his head between her thighs. She bit her lip as she looked down at him, her heels perched on the edges of the table to either side of her bottom, which was on the very edge. He marveled at her flexibility for a moment, then ran his tongue across her panties, pressing against her sex through the thin material, making it wetter than it had been, and getting his first taste of her arousal.

His tongue wiggled down the crease of her thigh, along her inner thigh, then across her bottom, up her other leg, then wormed its way under her panties, nudging them aside, and acorss her slit. He was happy to discover she was hairless down there, smooth and clean, tasting sweet, like a fresh fruit, and pulled her panties aside with a finger more while his tongue ran up and down her pussy, slowly nudging her lips apart and working its way inside. Glory Girl gasped as he tongued her clit, then licked down to her wet little hole, and pushed his long tongue up inside of her, rolling and twisting it about. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she moaned, her hips quivering and shaking as he tongue-fucked her pussy, thrusting it in and out, rolling and twisting while she moaned and panted for breath above him, her eyes shut as she focused on the pure pleasure rolling out from between her thighs.

Panacea watched, riveted, as the wolf tongue-fucked her sister to an orgasm, wishing, deep within herself, that it was her between Victoria's thighs, her mouth on her pussy, her tongue inside of her, tasting her sweet cum as she moaned and jerked as she came, her legs quivering, her eyes closed in bliss... she felt her own panties becoming damp, and rubbed her thighs together, itching to join in, but unsure of whether or not she should. On top of all the sexual thoughts about her sister swirling through her mind, she was confused by the strange feeling of lust towards the wolf as well, though it seemed so natural to want to lay down, spread her legs, and let him mount her as he would, taking her, making her his own personal fucktoy...

She shivered, and bit her lip, one hand unconsciously running up and down her thigh, awfully close to her groin... her jeans felt too tight and hot, but she held back from undoing them, pushing them down a bit, and sliding her own fingers into her tight little sex. She was the only person that had ever touched her body in any sexual manner, and seeing this little show right in front of her was making it awfully hard to not do more.

Warren eyed Panacea from the corner of his eye while he licked and sucked Glory Girl from one orgasm into the next, then finally slid his tongue out of her hole, licking her from her bottom to her clit, wiggling his tongue against her clit as he straightened up. Glory Girl immediately wrapped her legs lightly around his waist while she reached down, undoing his pants, pushing them open and letting his cock lose. She smiled as she saw it for the first time, and stroked it with both hands. A bead of precum appeared at the tip, and she smeared it around the head with her thumb, then sexily raised that thumb to her mouth and sucked it clean while she pushed his cock down to her wet pussy's entrance with her other hand, rubbing his cock up and down her slit, getting it wetter as she did so. She put one hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer, looking up into his wolfen eyes. “Fuck me,” she said softly, biting her lip.

He flexed his hips, driving them forward, sinking his entire shaft into her all at once. She cried out, and tightened her legs around his waist, pressing her chest against his, burying her face in his shoulder as he penetrated deep, his cock wrapped in the velvet sheath that was her body. She squirmed, making room for him, and then he pulled back and thrust in again.

“Oh God,” she gasped, the sensation heightened by her orgasm-heightened sensitivity, and she soon lost herself in the gentle rocking motion of his hips as he slowly stroked in and out of her.

“Panacea,” Warren growled. “Stand over there,” he pointed to the other side of the table Glory Girl was getting fucked on. She moved to the spot. “Take off your pants, and panties.” She hesitated, and Glory Girl, watching as he fucked her slowly, sweetly, nodded at her.

“Do it,” she said breathlessly.

She undid her jeans and peeled them and her lime-green panties down her legs together, revealing her body, bare from the waist down, to the two of them. She was as clean and smooth and bare as Glory Girl was, her sex a little puffy with her arousal.

Warren smiled, wrapping one arm around Glory Girl, holding her bottom while he began to rock into her a little harder, and laid his other hand on the table. He had an idea, and wanted to see if it would work... focusing slightly, a thin tendril of blackness coalesced around his hand, then slithered across the table to Panacea. She made to step back, but he motioned for her to hold still, and it moved around her leg. He smiled. He could, in a way, even feel, or sense, what the tendril was touching. Not in a very clear manner; it was a little like wrapping your hand in several layers of clothing and then running it across someone's leg. You could tell something was there, but that was about it. He flexed the tendril, and it snaked around her thigh, wrapping around one, pulling it over. She shuffled sideways. He shook his head, and snaked it around the other, then pulled both legs, making her widen her stance. Her eyes widened as she clued in to what he wanted.

His cock never stopped moving within Glory Girl, making her moan and writhe, moving with him as she got closer to yet another orgasm. He grinned and began to fuck her harder, pumping his hips a little faster, smacking into her now...

Panacea's eyes closed as the tip of the tendril traced the wet lips of her sex, nudging them apart, and pressed against her clit, then began to vibrate. Softly at first, then building upwards in staggered spurts, until her hips were writhing, and she was sagging against the wall. He reinforced the strength of the coils around her legs, and lifted them up, holding her in midair, her back against the wall, and she gasped as they spread her legs wider open, a second tendril splitting off of the main, and running down her bottom, coiling gently around her cheeks, stroking and toying with her. Glory Girl watched, biting her lip, and moaned as she came on his cock, her insides clenching hard on him. He continued fucking her, squeezing her bottom and rolling her on and off of his cock, assisting her movements as he moved a little harder and faster into her.

The main tendril slid down from Amy's clit while Victoria watched, then pushed up inside of her pussy, spreading her open, swelling as it slid up into her. Amy cried out as she was penetrated for the first time in her life, her young body clenching and cumming almost immediately. The tendril swelled some more, and began to vibrate in waves, running up and down its length inside of her, making her clench her hands into fists and cry out in pleasure. The second one pressed up against her bottom, then spurted a little bit of lubrication out of its tip on her small hole, then pressed again, this time penetrating her bottom, filling both of her holes, mimicking the first's movements and actions, both sliding in and out of her body while they vibrated, twisted, and rolled within her.

Victoria came again, watching, riveted, while he fucked her, harder yet, now slamming his cock in and out of her. He growled as he clung to her tightly and fucked her hard and fast. The tendrils in Amy picked up speed and force, making her cry out in passion as she came again and again on the little fucktoys. Then he was losing control, slamming into Victoria hard as she came, his hips jerking and spasming against her own as he emptied himself into her. She grinned, and stroked the side of his face as his cum filled her small pussy, ran down his cock, over her bottom..

The tendrils lowered Amy's legs to the ground, then slipped away, letting her stand on her own. She fell against the table, barely holding herself up on shaky legs. Warren slipped backwards, barely able to stand himself, and Victoria let her legs slowly come down, and together, breathing hard as she came down from the sexual rush as well. He flashed them both a wolfy grin, then thought a moment, created a chair from his power, and sat on it, relaxing into it as it formed to his body, perfectly comfortable.

“Ask away,” he said.

Amy drew a deep breath, and blushed as she reached down, pulling her panties up, then pulled her jeans up, and walked around, sitting next to her sister as she finished doing them up. Glory Girl stood up, slipped her panties off, and used them like a rag, wiping herself clean, then pulled her shorts up, and dropped the pink and white cloth on the table, ignoring them as she began to get the rest of her costume back on. “Okay,” Amy said, still breathing a little hard. “That was pretty intense. Let me gather my thoughts for a second.”

Warren nodded, letting her do so.

A few moments passed, and Glory Girl finished dressing, and sat back on the table. “Where did you come from?”

Warren searched for a way to answer, as honestly as he could. He did genuinely want the girls to be allies, friends... it wouldn't do to lie to them from the beginning. “I... there's a block. I can't give specifics.” He was surprised he could even say that much about it.

Amy frowned. “Are you originally from Brockton Bay?”

He shook his head.

“Close by?” Another head shake. “Different country?” Another head shake. “Okay, so you are from the US, then.” A nod. “But... different...?” Another nod, this one slower, harder. “Okay. So... you're not from our Earth, are you?” He couldn't nod, but didn't shake his head. “I'm going to take that as a yes, is that okay?” A nod. She smiled. “And your friend, the girl... is she the same as you?” Nothing... he couldn't answer again. “Another yes, then. Okay. We're getting somewhere, at least. Are you at least somewhat aware of the general situation here in Brockton Bay? The PRT, villains, organizations?” A nod. “Okay. You joined a group called the Undersiders, right?” A nod. “That was primarily because your friend did so?” A nod. “Do you think they're genuinely bad people, or what do you think of their motives?”

Gray area. It was hard to speak about what he knew about their motives from his previous life, but he could speak about what he actually knew from being here, at least. “I think they're good people. Some of them have gotten shitty deals in life. They're looking for ways to do what they can. Some of them are better than others.”

Amy smiled. “Do you think they would be open to working with the New Wave? Persuaded to maybe stop some illegal activities, do more good in the world, if they had a chance?”

He considered that for a moment. “It would depend, on what they were being asked to do instead. They're still searching for a niche, an identity, I feel. It would be a good time to bring this kind of an offer to them.”

Victoria was the next to speak. “Would you help us with that? Be our ally, our friend, and reach out to the Undersiders, let them know they have other options? We need allies, we need strength. If what you say is true about them, we would be open to helping them, if they're genuine in their want to help make things better.”

He nodded. “I would very readily agree to that. They're good people; trust me. Some, like Bitch—Hellhound—would need some type of proof that you weren't aiming to screw her over, but if you gave her that, she would be loyal, I believe.”

“What type of gesture would she appreciate?” Amy asked.

“She likes dogs.” He shrugged. “Offer her money, supplies, space to take care of the dogs. If she sees you're genuine in it what you offer, she'll believe you. She may still do things, to a degree, her own way, because that's who she is.” _Because her power affects her mentality, and makes her think more like a dog,_ he wanted to add, but that wasn't something he could readily offer up. The source of that knowledge came more from his previous life than his current... or... did it, really? “She... has a more... animalistic personality. And this is often misunderstood, I think. Wards, the PRT... they don't know how to talk to her properly. With the right approach, she would be... I think, very easy to work with.”

Amy nodded. “I think I understand what you mean. Like a stray dog that's been beaten too often, in a way?”

He nodded. “That's a good analogy.”

Victoria eyed him for a moment. “How can we get ahold of you?”

He frowned. “I don't have a phone. Yet. I'll get one. Give me your numbers, I can get it to you when I do.”

Amy nodded, and looked around for something to write on, taking a pen out of her pocket with her phone. Unable to find one, she ended up picking up Glory Girl's panties. They were a little damp in spots, but dry in others. She lifted them. “Uh... do either of you mind if I use this?”

Warren smirked, wolfishly. “Nope.”

Glory Girl giggled, smiling, and shook her head. Amy managed to write both numbers in a dry spot, then folded them carefully, and handed them over. Warren took them, and tucked them into his pocket safely.

“Last question, for now, I think, as we need to be getting back... what's your name?”

Warren smiled. He'd been thinking about that in the back of his mind for a long while, and settled on one while following Bitch around. “Morkulv.”

Amy paused, then nodded. “Dark wolf, right?”

He nodded, and gestured at the black chair he was sitting in. “Seemed appropriate.”

“And your real name?”

“Warren.”

“Just Warren?”

He nodded. “Yep. Just Warren.”

Glory Girl got to her feet, and laid a hand on Panacea's shoulder. “We really need to get back now. Thanks, Morkulv... we'll see you around.”

“I have a lot more questions for you, later,” Panacea said. “And um... thanks. For... before.” Her cheeks heated, and he stood, the chair vanishing behind him. He stepped over, and licked each of their cheeks.

“Anytime,” he said gruffly.

Glory Girl winked at him as she picked her sister up, and shot into the sky, disappearing quickly.

He watched them go, then turned. It should be about time to find Bitch.

Which turned out to be really easy, as the ground rumbled slightly underfoot, and a sotrage container about five spots down flew apart, one of her dogs rolling through it. Right as he saw it, he heard the explosion that had caused it, and launched into action, running forward. The dog heaved itself to its feet with surprising mobility and turned as a second, smaller impact drive it sideways, then it leaped forward. He dashed into the midst of the sudden fray, saw two... well. The only way to describe their outfits was decidedly goofy, and leapt up at the first, summoning his weapon, a large mace, clasping it with both hands as he brought it down between them on the roof of the storage unit they stood on.

While his leap didn't quite get him up on the top, his blow to the roof caved in the center, and they stumbled into one another as they both lost their footing as the roof collapsed inwards. He let the weapon go as he landed on his feet outside the door, and they landed inside. He kicked the door with all the strength he could muster, launching it backwards into the first, which just happened to be Uber, who caught the impact full in the face and went down in a heap under the metal door while Leet tried to get to his feet, tossing a spherical object at Warren's feet. He threw up his armor, completely encasing his body in solid black, even cutting his own visibility off for a second as the ball detonated. It lacked a horrendous impact however, and as he let parts of it slough away, he saw Leet running down the street as fast as he could, leaving Uber still pinned under the door and parts of the roof.

Bitch stepped up next to him, glaring at Uber, then glancing at Leet, and whistled, pointing. Two of her dogs, both about medium size, still growing, went after him. The third was behind her, still fairly small, about the size of a great dane as it slowly grew. Leet tossed two more devices over his shoulders. The dogs jumped over them, one going off under the largest dog and causing it to stumble, then run into another unit, knocking it to pieces as it landed. The second went off behind the other, useless, then the dog ran him over, grasped his arm in its jaws, and dragged him back, kicking and struggling.

“Stop, or I'll tell him to bite,” Bitch warned. Leet immediately sagged in total defeat.

Warren glanced around. “Just these two here?”

Bitch nodded, glaring all around, avoiding looking directly at Warren. “I was headed back, and they tried to jump me.”

“Bad idea.”

She looked at him then, surprise on her face, the faintest traces of a smile. “Yeah.”

He looked down at Uber again as he finally managed to get partially out of the debris he was stuck in, then sagged as he saw both of them standing there with all three dogs behind them, Leet still dangling from the mouth of one.

“Well. Fuck,” he said.

Warren, Morkulv, smiled, and reached down, grabbing his arms, and drug him out, throwing him on the ground, where one of the dogs put a beefy, huge paw on his back, holding him down. He didn't even bother to struggle, instead just laying there.

“They're too calm,” Morkulv pointed out.

“You're brilliant,” Leet sneered. “Think we would really come here alone?”

“You're stupid. Yes.” Bitch looked right at him.

Leet, at a loss for a decent quip for a comeback, fell silent again.

“Who else is here?” Morkulv demanded.

“Me.”

They both spun as a third individual walked around the corner, and placed a hand on her hip, her lips curled in a smile, the top half of her head concealed behind the same type of stupid mask that Uber and Leet wore.

“Really?” Bitch asked, and pointed, whistling. The third dog jumped forward, and the newcomer twisted out of the way, dropping and pulling a grenade off her belt and tossing it at Bitch instead of the dog.

Morkulv reacted quickly, grabbing Bitch and tossing her backwards, putting himself between her and the grenade even as his black armor encased him again. The grenade went off with a blast to his back, sending him sprawling forwards. His armor took the brunt of the impact and he rolled with it, coming up in a crouch. The dogs had scattered with the explosion, and Uber and Leet were running for it again. The newcomer twisted on her heel and ran around the corner. Morkulv snarled and went after her.

“Wait!” Bitch cried out—too late. He went around the corner, looking through just a slot in his armor, and felt his leg tug a cord...

He realized he was flying a second later, then hit the ground rolling, the force of the blast sending him rolling into another storage unit. The two he had ran between before were now before him, upside down, torn asunder and in flames. His ears rang from the force of the explosion, but his armor had once again taken the large brunt of the impact. He renewed it quickly, patching up the spots that had been broken open or destroyed, and got to his feet.

“You're respectfully hard to kill,” he heard her say, but it was like listening to her underwater, her voice a little hard to make out. He shook his head, and turned towards her. She was up in the back of a jeep, with three men standing between them, with rifles in their hands, all aimed at him.

_Fuck,_ he thought to himself...

Then one of Bitch's dogs ripped through another unit, sending pieces of it flying all over, and bowled into the three men. They turned their guns on it, firing wildly as they went flying in different directions. The man driving the jeep took off as the newcomer raised a launcher to her shoulder...

The dog before Morkulv took the full brunt of the impact, sliding backwards into him, but even still he felt the heat of the flames wash across him as they both rolled back down the street. More and more of her minions were flooding the street, some attacking him, others shooting at the dogs, the pop and crack of their small arms fire seemingly quiet in comparison with the roars of the explosions as another tripwire went off as a second dog went after the jeep, this one exploding in not fire, but ice, locking one of it's paws in place...

Morkulv sprinted towards the jeep, which raced away, two minions coming out in front of him, eyes wide and terrified as they swung their weapons—one had a sword, the other a huge club. He slid under both swings, was back up and on the move before either could recover. He formed clubs in either hand, the jeep speeding ahead, just out of reach. He saw Bitch struggling with one man, fighting over his club, while two more approached her from behind. One dog was pinned in place, a second still trying to get to its feet after being blown backwards, the third fighting about ten or fifteen of the minions, knocking them flying backwards with his head, paws, and tail...

He cursed and changed course, racing for her. The jeep stopped, and the woman in back took aim, firing another projectile straight at Morkulv. He leapt back as it hit the storage unit before him, showering him with bits of flaming debris, then rushed through it, slamming into the two about to tackle Bitch, slamming one club into the thigh of one, upending him and sending him crashing to the ground, whipping the other in the shoulder, sending him spinning into the far wall. A second projectile whistled past, slammed into another unit and detonated, the shockwave knocking Bitch and the man she fought to the ground. She was back on her feet first, kicking the man in the face and ripping his bat away from him, turning to fight another that ran at her. Morkulv twisted and was sprinting back towards the jeep. The second dog had recovered and was at his side.

“Bakuda!!” one of the minions cried a warning as she turned and fired blindly at them. It went over their heads, then blew just behind them, throwing Morkulv to the ground again with the sheer force of the explosion. He cursed, trying to get to his feet quickly, as men with clubs closed in around him. The dog ran ahead, and she pummeled it with miniature explosions, then...

The dog roared as a heavy hitter knocked it through the air, and through the far wall. At the same time, she launched a spray of grenades in all directions. Morkulv twisted away, layering his armor up thick, and saw Bitch trying to get away from one as another bounced in front of her...

The spray of explosions cut off his line of sight to her, but when he could see again, she was laying, limp, in the middle of the road, sprawled out, her coat smoldering. He cursed again, hoping she wasn't too badly fucked up, and turned to face Bakuda. The first dog leaped at her, and she hit it again, blowing apart another storage container, sending the beast rolling. As it got to its feet, she hit it right in the side, slamming it backwards, putting it down. The jeep rolled forward, and then he saw the wall of darkness on the other side... the others had showed up, finally.

He felt a little relief roll through him, then worry... Kelsey was with them, and still didn't have any protection. Bakuda's minions were filling the street, facing the rest of his group... he couldn't just leave her to face those. He leapt into their midst, swinging his clubs. He saw her raise her hands, tossing a grenade right towards Kelsey and Tattletale... Taylor.. the whole group, defenseless... he swung his clubs hard, dashing into her side, disrupting her toss, but not enough. Bakuda roared in frustration as he connected with her, and then the grenade went off... He looked up, half expecting to see Tattletale blown in half, but saw her instead in the distance, and felt confidence surge through him. Kelsey was smart.

He turned, striking down a minion running at him with a sword, saw a man with a gun taking aim and beefed up his armor... he turned and saw Grue.

“Bitch is hurt. Get to her,” he growled, then launched himself at the group.

It quickly became evident that Kelsey was helping him, as people went from far away to next to him, right in the way of his swings, and went down. He twisted and rolled, keeping the clubs moving, swinging, putting his trust in her to keep enemies close that he could take down.

It took a matter of seconds, and suddenly the minions were mostly down, and he was several yards away from where he began. He realized that with all the warping, his steps and movements had been taking him farther than he realized, and grinned at that. The minions were fairly scattered about, most unconscious, a few with more serious injuries, some broken bones here and there.

Bakuda screamed in rage, and he turned to see her launcher pointed directly at him, and layered his armor on as thick as he could, bracing...

The blow he was expecting never came. He was aware of the sound of her firing, but it sounded so far away... he looked around, and realized that Kelsey had moved him away from the detonation zone, and he waited, watching as Kelsey warped her back around, right in front of her own missile, then fire and smoke covered the scene. He saw the thick darkness from Grue cover the group, and hoped it helped, starting to move towards them as the flames cleared away, though the smoke was still thick... he was suddenly back where he had been. Man, that was jarring, and he figured it would take a little getting used to, but it was really helpful, too.

The jeep was no more, and neither was Bakuda. It was fairly poetic, really. She had meant to kill him, and as many people as she could trap in her explosion, but all she had managed to do was kill herself. He grinned, and glanced towards the others. He saw Taylor leaning on Kelsey, holding her side, Grue was holding Bitch... they hadn't got away injury-free, it appeared, but in the long run, things could have been much, much worse. He hurried over, letting his armor dissipate away, as well as his weapons. He heard Tattletale talking to Kelsey, and checked in with Grue.

“She's breathing. I'm not sure how bad she's hurt.”

“She got hit by a couple grenades.”

“Fuck,” Grue muttered. “How bad is it?”

I glanced around. The carnage was pretty widespread. “Looks bad.”

“Money?”

He shrugged. “Not sure where it is.”

Grue looked down the road, then drew a deep breath. “Looks okay. That's good, at least. Okay. Let's get everyone out of here.” Warren lifted Bitch in his arms, cradling her gently. She shifted slightly, her face grimacing. In pain, but alive. That was a good sign. He wished he could do more for her right here, but moved over to the others, telling Tattletale about the dogs, but she dismissed it, and sent him ahead with Kelsey and Taylor. He started towards the loft, Kelsey following along.

He knew one thing for damn sure; they were twisting the entire story now... he could only wonder how much it would continue to twist when he brought up the offer from the New Wave.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Lisa had fallen asleep at some point behind me while I worked, and I barely noticed. Her hand hung off the side of the bed, resting slightly against my back, but I was so focused on what I was doing I didn't even register the slight contact, or the sound of her smooth, even breathing. At some point, the silence, only interrupted by the sound of my own work, began to bother me, so I flicked on the radio, on low, and worked some more.

My first step was to focus on an identity, a name that would back up what I could do. And a look that revolved around that identity. After putting together the basics of my mask, which consisted mostly of a visor with a lot of little additions, basically a mini computer, complete with a VI, which I programmed mostly with a wireless keyboard I connected to the mask directly, I focused on names, and looks. After a while, I settled on the name “Twilight”... it seemed to fit, in a way. I went with sharp angles and smooth transitions for contrast for the look of the mask, building a frame around the visor out of the high-quality materials that Lisa had provided. The visor itself was currently clear glass, with a lot of back frame work, wiring that wrapped all around it, cushioned and hidden under easy-access panels. The processor was tiny, fitting in the space just under the visor, above my nose, but was immensely powerful, especially as I buffed and increased it's power flow with some some alterations, basically redesigning the entire chip in a matter of minutes.

It was strange, but felt amazing to sit like this, and let myself flow, the thoughts coming easily and naturally, flowing out through my fingers, even with the little training I had had. I didn't even know some of the proper names for things, and ended up labeling things “this gizmo” and “that gadget,” or “the thingee that routes power different directions.” Functionally, however, I instinctively knew it was above and beyond most things of our day, and even still it didn't feel like it was the limit of my abilities. It was easy, not stressful. I wasn't pushing myself enough. Which was why I hooked up the keyboard, and wrote a VI. That was far more complex than just assembling the visor itself. Hooking it up to its equipment, programming it to recognize voice commands and installing small earbud pieces for it to relay information only to me, the wearer... and what information to relay, programming the visual intake from the visor's scanning systems... it was complex, in depth, and left me pulling my hair in frustration throughout most of the night. But when the sun came up, and Lisa roused from her sleep, finding me sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of me, she stretched and sat up, looking at the mess of supplies scattered all over her floor.

“Guess I'm going to have to get used to all this in here, huh?”

I looked up at her, and smiled. “Yeah.” I glanced at the mess. “Sorry, I'll clean up... most of it...”

She giggled, and stretched again. She was still nude, and watching her move was doing funny things to my tummy, making me want to touch her and explore her body again. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, and stood next to me. I wrapped an arm around her leg, and leaned against her. “Did you sleep at all?”

I shook my head. “No, spent most of the night writing a program for this.” I held up the visor. It was almost done, now. Not painted yet, just a pure silver, the dome of the helmet portion only covered the top of my head, leaving the back open. The side panels swept up from the cheeks to little points near the top of the dome, curving with the design, flowing together. The visor was still clear glass—I needed to figure out how to color it, so my eyes wouldn't be so visible. The bottom of the visor had a separate piece running across the bottom, with a spike running down a few inches, that should terminate around my bottom lip, curving out just a little, so it wouldn't hit me in the face, reinforced on the back end to be super-durable. The end effect was a T blazoned across the front. I liked it. I slipped it on, and pulled the elastic strap across the back of my head under my hair and fixed it in place, then looked up Lisa. “I still have some work to do to it... I need to put my glasses directly into the visor, cause you're blurry. Or maybe... I wonder if I can program the VI to broadcast a field over the glass to distort light in the way lenses do, to do that for me...”

She giggled, and crouched in front of me, looking me right in the eye. “Well, whichever you do, can you make it so your eyes are still visible? I like seeing your real eyes.”

I blushed, and nodded. “Just cause you asked.”

I slipped the mask off, and picked up my glasses, slipping them back on, but left the filter off that hid my eyes. She smiled, and cupped my chin in her hand, kissing me gently, her tongue tracing my lips as I opened my mouth under hers, meeting her tongue with my own, caressing it.. after a few moments, she pulled back, smiled and stood, stepping gingerly through the scattered materials and slipped on a robe, gathering some clothes. “Shower time.” She slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and I decided it was probably smart for me to put some clothes on too, so I got up, stretching, and realized just how tired I was. I pulled out some of my new clothes, and slipped on a pair of panties, then some loose comfy shorts and a t-shirt, then sat right back down, turned the radio up just a touch, and resumed working. I finished adjusting the visor and mask, and set to assembling some armor for the rest of my body, starting with a breastplate. I layered the materials, starting out with a basic cut out roughly the size of my torso, then began to file and smooth the edges, then moved to rolling it into shape, putting slight bumps in the top so it wouldn't be too tight or confining. I tapered in the sides to accent a more feminine form, and cut the bottom into a gently sloping V that would end just below my belly button. I formed a second layer in much the same way, just a fraction smaller, and laid it over top. Forming the armor in such a fashion, it was easy to shape and form the armor, then make it strong by laying it over top itself. I added two more layers, carefully avoiding making it heavy, but strong enough to resist a heavy blow.

After the basic shape work was done, I engraved a T that matched the one from my mask into the middle of the chest, and put some padding on the inside, then tapped a piece into a U, then ran it all around the outside, tapping it down, then using a small riveter to seal the armor together. Later, I would install some more electronics to it, but for now, it was an effective little breastplate.

I made some shoulder pieces in much the same fashion, and was just riveting them together when Lisa opened the door and slipped in, and smiled at me. “Good, you're dressed. Wanna come out here for a bit?”

I nodded, set my work aside, and rose, following her to the main room.

Everyone else, including Taylor, were present. Bitch looked surly, standing to one side. Warren was lounging on the couch next to Alec, but they were both watching the TV closely. Grue was pacing behind the couch that Taylor sat on, and Lisa went to him, trying to get him to calm down for a moment. I took a seat next to Taylor, and looked at the screen...

And suddenly understood why everyone was so grim.

“ _The situation in Hong Kong is grim,”_ the news reporter was saying, and judging by the images of explosions, fires, and what appeared to be an all-out war in the cityscape, she was understating it. _“We have unconfirmed reports that one of the notorious members of the Slaughterhouse 9 is responsible for the outbreak of the plague, but we have yet to hear any official statements from the Protectorate on the matter. What we do know is that it seems to have originated in a hospital, and spread quickly. We have heard reports of the virus being transferred through bites, scratches, or any contact with bodily fluids. It appears to be very contagious, just a small exposure will result in full contamination within a matter of minutes. What you are seeing behind me is the results; the Chinese military has responded in force to try to contain the viral outbreak, but it seems they are not succeeding. The outbreak has spread through the city in a matter of hours, and casualty estimates are already reaching the million mark.”_ The reporter paused, and the camera feed shook as a large blast rocked part of the city, and a couple of buildings came toppling down, fire and smoke rolling into the night sky, blocking entire portions of the city from view.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen, we are now hearing that China has declared a state of full martial law within their borders. We are getting fragmented reports that the plague is breaking out in other areas, and all travel to and from the country is being recalled and grounded. They are laying the outbreak at the feet of 'Bonesaw' from the Slaughterhouse 9.”_

“Fuck, this is bad,” Alec said, a little out of character for his normally expressive-less self. I blinked at him, and looked at Taylor. Her jaw was set, and she stared intently at the screen, as if she was thinking about how she could help.

“They've never done anything on this type of scale before. You can't figure out what's going on?” Brian said, the question directed towards Lisa.

She shook her head. “Too far away, I think, to gather anything specifics. All I can really say, from watching this, is that it was definitely Bonesaw. Has her fingerprints all over it... especially with the speed it travels, you can't even hope to contain it, to study it, to counter-act it so soon. This was definitely designed to cause mass hysteria, panic on a global scale.”

“Question is, why,” Brain said.

“Do they need a reason? It's the fucking 9,” Alec said. “This is what they do.”

Brian shook his head. “They've never attacked anything on quite so large a scale. Doing this will unify most of the capes in the world against them. Capes will literally travel thousands of miles to fight them for this.”

I frowned, biting my lip, watching the TV. On the screen, the camera had zoomed in on a scene of intense fighting. The military was retreating down a street, weapons firing nonstop as the soldiers moved backwards. A tank in their midst belched smoke and flame as it rolled backwards. A helicopter overhead was raining down shells as its guns unleashed. And coming towards them was a literal mass of people, racing down the street, leaping over cars, their mouths twisted and hanging open, frozen in screams of agony and pain. Their eyes were dead, lifeless, but their bodies moved with strength and speed which defied physics, hurling themselves into the wall of gunfire. As I watched, I could see some of them get hit and just keep going, others going down after taking twenty or thirty rounds each. It was nearly hopeless, and even as the reporter tried to summarize and keep up, the soldiers were overwhelmed, swallowed by the mass of dead people. And they didn't stop, speeding down the road.

“My God,” I whispered, as the camera cut away from the scene of the slaughter and back to the pale reporter.

Lisa laid a hand on my shoulder, and Taylor looked over at me as well. “Is it coming here?” Brian asked Lisa.

She shrugged. “Hard to say. If they find a way to contain it, to keep it in China, maybe not. But the chances of that happening? Who can say... and Bonesaw may have more of the virus, be able to release it at will, wherever she wants. They said they were combating outbreaks all over their country.”

“We have to be ready, if it does,” Brian said firmly. “We need some type of plan.”

“Brian, the first ones to fall in Hong Kong were the local capes. They couldn't contain it. How do you expect us to?” Taylor looked up at him.

He shrugged. “I don't... I don't know, okay? I just know, we can't let that happen here. In our home.” He jabbed a finger at the TV, which had went back to showing the city on fire, burning as jets flew overhead, firebombing parts of the city now, trying to burn the infection out.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say no one wants that to happen,” Lisa said, squeezing my shoulder softly. “I'll speak to the boss, and see what he has to say about it, okay?” Brian nodded. “In the meantime, why don't we focus on being ready in case the ABB tries anything after last night?”

Brian nodded again, and actually looked relieved he had something to focus on in the here and now, something he could actually do something about. “Right. Okay, first things first... Taylor, did you see the article in the paper?” She shook her head. “They've apparently dubbed you as 'Skitter' since you never officially came up with the name. If you don't really have any objections to it, we can use that as your cape name for now, make it easier when we're in the field.”

Taylor thought for a moment, then shrugged. “It's not exactly what I would have come up with, but it's okay.”

Brian nodded. “You can always change it later, not like these names are set in stone. Warren, do you have a cape name for yourself yet?”

He nodded. “Morkulv.” I smiled at his raspy voice. He glanced at me, and gave me a wolfish wink. My smile widened.

Brian turned to me. “And you, Kelsey?”

“Twilight. I started making my stuff last night. It's nothing fancy yet,” I said.

“Nothing fancy, she says,” Lisa said with a laugh. “She programmed a VI in a few hours. Her visor is capable of feeding her information from any device she can connect it to.”

I blushed, but didn't bother denying it. Brian gave me an appraising look. “Would you be able to connect wirelessly to devices on our suits?”

I nodded. “Of course. There'd be a range, naturally, but, it could be done easily. Something as small as one of those tiny fish-eye cameras, like the ones that go under doors, would be really useful.”

“Lisa, get some of those ordered... with her warping ability, if she can see us, she might be able to help us out even more.”

I smiled at that, and Warren gave me another little wink.

“Do you have a full costume?”

I shook my head. “Just the visor, and I started forming some of the rest... part I can't make would be the undersuit. I need a durable type of bodysuit...”

Brian looked at Taylor. “Think you could help her out with that?”

Taylor shrugged, looking uneasy. “I... guess, I don't know...”

I smiled at her. “I'd be willing to pay you, if you could make it.”

She shrugged again. “I... I'll need your measurements, and some time. It won't happen immediately.”

My turn to shrug. “That's okay, it'll be a couple days before I'm finished building the rest. And we can get measurements any time.”

Taylor nodded, but still looked a little uncomfortable. Brian turned his attention to Warren, asking him a few questions, but with Warren's ability to summon armor, weapons, and his appearance, he was pretty much set, except for the need for me to build his projector, once the parts came in. Sitting still for a moment, my mind unfocused on building, I realized how tired I was only after my head hit Taylor's shoulder, and I nearly fell into her lap. She jumped a little, and Lisa laughed at her, and sat on my other side, letting me lean back against her.

I was aware the others were still talking, but their voices seemed to fade into a background hiss, and my eyes shut...

* * * * * * *

When I woke, it was afternoon. I was laying on the couch by myself, but Alec was on the other one, controller in his hand, playing a game. The other TV was off. I rolled over and sat up, and he glanced at me casually. “Awake, huh?”

I nodded. “Where is everyone?”

“Downstairs. Taylor's bringing in some creepy-crawlies to make your jumpsuit, I guess. I wasn't really paying attention.”

“Thanks,” I said, and stood up, stretching, pushing my hands over my head and raising up on tip-toe. Alec glanced at me again, and I winked at him before yawning, then relaxing. I felt my shirt drift back over my belly, and headed towards the stairs. Lisa was sitting on them about halfway down, with Brian in front of her. Warren was moving a few crates and boxes around at Taylor's direction. I walked down and sat next to Lisa. She smiled and bumped my shoulder with hers.

“Hey sleepyhead.”

I smirked at her. “You didn't stay up all night making a VI, I earned my sleepyness.”

She winked. “Guess that's fair. Hey, we got some bluetooth cameras, we're going to clip into our costumes. Can you link them to your visor?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that'll be cool. I'll just have to expand it's software so it can handle that many connections, then program some new voice controls. I bet I can make it so I can see what any one of you are, overlaid what I see... now if only I could program my brain to be able to handle more input...”

“Don't joke about that, please,” Lisa said, shaking her head slightly.

“Why?” I asked softly. “I wasn't serious.”

“That's what Bonesaw does. She's a tinker... with human bodies.”

I looked up at Brian, and felt the humor drain out of my last joke. “Oh... I didn't know. I'm sorry.”

Lisa put an arm around my shoulders. “It's okay. Just, please don't make jokes like that, I don't want to think about you like her at all.”

“I won't. Sorry, Lisa.” I bit my lip, feeling stupid for a moment. Then Taylor called me, and I went to her. She had me stand on a stool, and got her measuring tape out, and started taking measurements and jotting them down. I giggled as she took my inseam.

“Getting personal, huh?” I poked some fun at her expense, and saw her cheeks flare crimson, and her eyes darted to Warren, of all people. I blinked, but didn't make any more jokes at all. It didn't seem to be the day for jokes. She finished up, and told me she would start having the spiders make it the next day, and I thanked her profusely before heading back upstairs to the room, to work on the rest of my outfit. I had built some armored pieces for my arms and hands when Lisa came in, and surveyed what I had done. I was working on the back piece, and once I had finished with it, I went to work on installing electronics in each part, creating webbing of sensory wires along the inside pieces, for statistical data on the integrity of the armor, and linked all the cameras Lisa brought me to the visor, playing with the programming, having Lisa put one on and walk around the loft, making sure I could summon and dismiss the video feed at any time. Once I was satisfied with that, I made the armor pieces for my legs, then pieces that snapped on to some boots I had picked out.

By that time, it was nearly midnight again, and Lisa was in bed behind me. I crawled into it with her, and slept until the morning. The next day, I had her take me shopping, and got paint, clearcoats, finishers and primers, and brought it all back to the loft. I went into the far corner, put on a painter's mask, and sprayed all the armor with the primer coats, then painted it all a matte black, then began hand-painting on details and accents with Lisa's artistic help. By mid afternoon, my suit was finished. I had even found a piece of transparent purple vinyl I put over the front of my visor, both to protect it and tint the clear glass. I put on the full suit, and powered it on.

The entire thing ran on an extremely power efficient system of batteries that I had installed along the backs of my arms. They were hard-wired into the armor, but a small little port near my elbow allowed me to plug them in easily with a basic charger. The suit had about fifteen hours of run time for every charge, and took only about two hours to charge to full. The armor pieces appeared in my vision as I ran a status check, and all came up green.

“KC, scan surroundings for life,” I said.

[Scan complete, six human lifeforms found, seven hundred, forty-two thousand non-human lifeforms amassed below.]

I loved my VI's smooth voice. I had programmed it after Lisa's, after all. She didn't know, as I was the only one that could hear it, speaking directly into an earbud that was placed in my right ear. “KC, disregard non-human forms unless specified in future scans.”

[Setting confirmed.]

“KC, huh? What's that mean?” Brian asked, crouching before me, looking me over.

I blushed slightly. “Kelsey's Creation,” I admitted.

He smiled. “I like it. Your armor looks amazing. Can't wait to see it once Taylor completes the underset.”

I smiled back. “I'm going to wire the suit she's making into it as well, so everything will be fully attached.” I took the visor off, and shook my head to get my bangs out of my eyes. “Next step will be making some type of weapons. Though, I'm not sure what to make.”

Brian considered that for a moment. “Maybe some type of taser? Alec's is pretty useful.”

I nodded. “Maybe, though I'm concerned about the power draw of one. They're only good for a few good hits, you know. If I could design some type of system that would allow for a quick recharge, maybe solar powered, or... I don't know. Something, that would help out.”

He smiled reassuringly at me. “I'm positive you'll come up with something. Don't push yourself too hard, too soon.”

I nodded, and took the armor off, carrying it back to the room and setting it carefully next to Lisa's costume, then went back out. I had dressed in a black sleeveless V-neck top, and a white skirt with black pokadots all over it, and done my hair up in it's usual ponytail. I walked past the bathroom, and remembered my idea to improve the water heater, and went to tell Brian I was going to walk to the store, and see about getting a couple tools. He asked why, I told him my plan, and he smiled, and nodded, waving me off. I flicked the switch on my glasses on, hiding my eyes, and headed out.

It was a gorgeous day, the sun shining bright overhead, the temperature comfortably warm without being hot or cold, a slight breeze, just enough to feel it, but not enough to be a nuisance. I headed down the street, following a group of older teenagers across the docks, and heading into the Boardwalk area. I only had to wander for about five minutes before finding a store that sold hardware and tools, and walked in. There weren't many customers present, only a couple that seemed more offended than anything that I had walked into the store. Judging by the way they had clustered in one corner, and were all older men, between 30 and 40 years old, I figured they were friends, and weren't comfortable with kids around. I glanced around the store only once before realizing I had literally no idea what I needed to fix the water heater. I walked over to the counter, instead. The clerk looked down at me.

“Can I help you?” he asked, wiping his hands on a towel.

“Yeah, um. My... our... water heater isn't working right. I'm supposed to get some stuff to fix it.”

“Some stuff,” he repeated blandly.

“Yeah. Do you sell water heater stuff?”

He glanced at the customers, as if to say “see this shit?” then back at me. “Do you even know what size it is?”

“Um...” I bit my lip, then shook my head. “No... but... can I see the water heater stuff section? Like, where the parts are?”

“Good God, kid, who sent you here?”

“I'm not a kid,” I said stubbornly, and glared at him. “Do you sell it or not?”

He rolled his eyes, then walked around, taking me to the far end of the store from where the others were gathered. “Coils, panels, fuses... do you have any idea what you need?”

I looked across the parts, fusing them in my mind with the image of the water heater. I may not be good with names, but I was good at figuring out how things went together by looking at them. I picked up a few parts. “These should do it.”

He eyeballed the ones I had picked up, then his eyes widened. “Are you yanking my chain? Do you actually know what you're here for?”

I shook my head. “I'm not good with names of stuff,” I admitted. “But these should work.”

“Should,” he repeated, then lead the way back to the counter, and rang up the items. I laid down a couple bills to pay for it, then picked up the bag and headed out. I overheard him saying to the customers as they went to the counter as I left, “That little bitch knew exactly what she needed. Picked out all the same sizes in a matter of seconds. Hate little cunts.”

I smirked despite being angry at him for his name calling, glad that the parts I had picked up should work, and decided that since I had time, I would grab some sandwiches to take back for everyone, and headed towards a food shop. I was only about halfway there, when I saw the group moving towards me, a girl flanked by two beefy looking bodyguards, trailed after by a group of girls and even some boys, all chattered animatedly about the girl in the lead. I paused, to let them go by, but apparently I was still “in the way,” as the girl stopped and looked at me.

“Don't you know who I am?” she said, haughtily.

I shook my head slowly. “No. Should I?”

“Uh, yeah!” she said, rolling her eyes. I instantly hated her. Very conceited, I determined immediately.

“Sorry,” I muttered, and stepped farther back.

She glared at me, and started to move past, when two people stepped up on either side of me. “Canary,” one said, putting his hands on his hips.

I glanced to each side, and felt my heart stop for a few seconds. I was flanked on each side by a cape... and not just any capes, but members of the Protectorate, both very, very recognizable. Gallant was on my right, with Aegis on my left. I swallowed hard, and tried to shrink into the ground, but Aegis laid a hand on my shoulder. “She bothering you, miss?” he said kindly to me.

I shook my head slightly. “No, uh... I was just walking... to the sandwich shop...”

He offered me a bright, radiant smile, one that Gallant echoed as I glanced over at him. “It's alright. She's been pushing her way around town.” Gallant looked towards Canary, the girl in the middle of the street, flanked by her two bodyguards still, though both suddenly looked as if they wanted to be elsewhere. “We've had some complaints about how you've been treating people.”

Canary shrugged. “I haven't done anything wrong.”

“That's not entirely what we've been told,” Aegis said, stepping forward.

Canary shifted her stance, and suddenly, as she spoke, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of what she was saying before she had said it. It sounded so perfectly reasonable, so very true. “Why don't you two take your new girlfriend there, scurry off somewhere else, and fuck? And leave me be,” she asserted.

Gallant took my hand as we turned away, Aegis taking my other, the bag crinkling as it slid up to my elbow, and we walked off. I could feel my body already reacting, getting ready, the tingle of arousal building low within myself. We were going to go fuck... for the first time! It was going to be brilliant, I just knew it. Gallant was smiling down at me while we walked away, ducking into a clothing shop, and heading right into the back, into one of the dressing rooms. It wasn't very large, but had enough room for a bench on one side, both walls covered in floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Aegis closed and locked the door behind us, and then his hands were on my waist, pulling me back against his body while Gallant moved in from the front, kissing my mouth suddenly, his mouth opening my own, his tongue thrusting into me.

Thinking was really difficult, but I managed to form at least one coherent thought as Aegis slid his hands up my sides, pulling my shirt up as he did so, until Gallant had to pull back so he could pull it over my head, and dropped it on the bench, his hands coming back to cover my small breasts from behind, rubbing and squeezing, his fingers pinching my nipples lightly. _What in the actual fuck is going on?_ But the line of thought disappeared in a haze of lust as Gallant kissed me again, sucking my tongue into his mouth and undoing the snaps on the side of my skirt, dropping it around my feet. Aegis lifted me up, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around Gallant's middle as he put his hands under my bottom, holding me up, and Aegis kissed his way down my back, pausing at my panties to squeeze my bottom. Gallant slid his hands back under my upper thighs, still holding me up, and Aegis pulled my panties down from behind as far as he could, and stuck his tongue into the crease of my bottom, licking as far down as he could. I moaned into Gallant's mouth, and squeezed him with arms and legs, and he turned, standing me on the bench. I was just slightly taller than him standing up on the bench. Aegis pulled his pants down, and rubbed his cock with one hand. He was pretty big, from what I could see, and I watched him stroke himself, mesmerized by the sight of it. He smirked at me.

“Like what you see?” I nodded. “Wanna suck on it?” I nodded again. He sat on one edge of the bench, and Gallant turned me to face him, encouraging me to get on my knees. He pressed my legs together, and pulled my panties down to my knees while Aegis grabbed the back of my head, and lowered my mouth to his cock. I kissed the tip, unsure of what to really do. He stroked my cheek, and said, “Open your mouth, sweetheart. That's it. Stick your tongue out a little... yeah. Like that.” He rubbed the head of his cock across my open lips, then laid it on my tongue, and pushed the head into my little mouth. He tasted a little salty, like sweat and a new flavor that I could only identify as all male.

Gallant lifted my knees, slid my panties the rest of the way off, then spread my legs as far as the bench allowed, and I gasped, my hips jerking as he licked my tiny slit, pulling my lips open with his thumbs to stick his tongue inside of my folds, wiggling it against my little clit, then sticking it into my hole...

Aegis guided my mouth up and down his cock a few times. “Use your tongue, baby. Yeah. Suck a little... oh God yes. Like that.” I rubbed my tongue along the bottom of his cock and stared up at him while he pulled and pushed my mouth up and down, his cock hitting the back of my mouth with every thrust in, sucking a little on his shaft. He paused with just the tip in my mouth, and I brought up my hand, gripping the shaft of his cock, and stroked it with my hand like he had before, swirling my tongue around his head and exploring the ridges and smooth planes of his dick. He groaned and his grip tightened in my hair as my tongue slid up and down the soft ridge along the bottom, then gently poked at the little hole in the tip. A small bead of a salty, but slightly sweet, liquid greeted me as I did so. I moaned around his cock as Gallant's tongue went from my pussy to my bottom, his hands spreading my bottom open and his tongue gently explored my other little hole.

“Have you ever had a cock inside of you, baby?” Aegis asked.

I pulled off his cock just long enough to answer “No,” and sucked it back into my mouth, still stroking him with one hand.

“In any hole?”

I shook my head slightly, and sucked his cock back into my mouth as far as I could, moving up and down it on my own now, timing my bobbing motion with my strokes with my fist.

Gallant slid a finger into my little pussy, pushing it in deeply, making me moan again as he curled it within me, and dragged it out, then pushed it back in, repeating the motion. I felt a trickle of my own juice trail down my thigh as he worked his tongue into my bottom, then pushed a second finger into that hole as well, working it open gently. I moaned yet again, and Aegis arched his hips up, pushing against the back of my throat... I felt him start to slide into my throat, and coughed, pulling back quickly. He smirked and stroked my cheek again.

“It's all right baby. Take your time on that.”

I took him back into my mouth, moving down until I felt him pushing at that same area, then pushed myself down, ready for it this time, swallowing repeatedly to repress my gag reflex as his cock slid down my throat, creating a visible bulge in my neck. I pulled back, coughing again, and sucked on his head while I caught my breath before trying again. Gallant was fingering both of my holes from behind, then I felt him straighten up, and something larger than his fingers was rubbing up and down my slit, from my pussy to my bottom. He put his fingers back in my wet pussy, then rubbed my juices around my bottom, then spit on his hand, and rubbed that around his cock.

“I'm gonna fuck your cute little ass,” Gallant said softly, and pressed the head of his cock against my bottom, gripping my hips tightly with one hand while he pushed forwards with his hips, holding his cock against my tight little entrance with his other hand. I groaned as his cockhead stretched my little hole, then finally popped inside. It was a weird feeling, a little painful, though not entirely unpleasant. Gallant seemed to really enjoy it, groaning and pushing more of his cock deeper into me, his cock sliding into me like a hot iron bar. When he was fully seated within me, he grabbed my hips with both hands, holding me tight against him, his cock twitching within me.

“Fuck, she's so fucking hot and tight,” he said to Aegis.

“Give me her pussy, man,” Aegis said, pulling out of my mouth, and slithered between my legs until I was kneeling over him. Aegis reached down, and I felt his cock rub against my slit, tickling my clit, and lowered my hips slightly, Gallant moving with me a bit so Aegis could line up with my pussy, then he was pushing his cock into my body as well. I cried out as his cock stretched my little pussy out. I could feel their cocks rubbing against one another through the thin wall that separated both holes. Gallant groaned, and held my hips still while Aegis rubbed and tweaked my little nipples, and they both began to move, slowly, setting up a smooth rhythm between the two of them.

Gallant pulled out as Aegis pushed in, then they reversed, moving slowly, with long, sure strokes. I moaned as I came, unable to even try to stop it, my orgasm crashing through my body. My hips jerked in Gallant's grip, trying to shove against the both of them and take them in deeper.

“Aw fuck man, so wet and tight,” Aegis moaned, picking up the speed slightly, Gallant following suit. Before too long, they were rocking into me hard and fast, sending me flying from orgasm to orgasm, unable to think or speak, senseless words and moans escaping from my mouth as I panted for breath. Aegis was the first to lose it, shoving his cock up hard into my tight pussy and cumming hard, his cum shooting hard into my womb, filling me entirely. He cried out in his orgasm, and Gallant followed a few strokes later, his hips jerking as he pulled me back against him, then emptied his own load into my small bottom. I fell across Aegis, their cocks slipping out of me as I rolled to the floor, laying there panting for several minutes, unable to even think about moving, or speaking.

After a bit, I finally forced myself to sit up, and looked down. My thighs were streaked with both of their cum, and I could feel it sticky inside of my bottom. I moaned, and tried to stand, but my legs were weak, like rubber. But after a bit, I managed to stand. Aegis had his eyes closed, leaning against one corner, his cock laying wetly and soft against his thigh. Gallant leaned against the other, watching me through barely open eyes, his mouth slightly open as he tried to catch his breath.

And as I gathered my clothing, putting my shirt back on and my skirt, tucking my panties into my pocket until I could go to the restroom to clean myself up, what had just happened landed full force in my brain. I froze for a moment, clarity shooting through the sexual fatigue and making me all to aware that I was standing in a tiny dressing room with Gallant and Aegis, two members of the organization I very much wanted to avoid..... and they had....

_They just fucked me in every hole I have.... what the fuck just happened?_

I turned around, and noticed Aegis was dozing his orgasm off, Gallant still dazed, and slipped out of the room, hurried to the restroom. A few customers saw me slip out of the dressing room and cast stern, disapproving looks in my direction. My cheeks flamed hotter than they had ever been in my entire life. We had not really been quiet at all. Quite the opposite, in fact... I slipped into a bathroom stall, and using copious amounts of toilet tissue to wipe myself as clean as I could, then got some paper towels wet in the sink, and used those, then dried myself off the best I could, went pee while using my fingers to get as much of their cum out of me as I could, grabbed another handful of wet towels, scrubbed again, then finally slid my panties on, and looked around for an escape route. Sooner or later, Gallant and Aegis were going to wake up, and they were going to want to know what happened just as much as I did. I spotted the window, and moved the trash can beneath it, jumping up on top of it to push the window open, and crawled out through it, jumping down into the alleyway. Somehow, I had had the presence of mind through everything to keep the water heater materials I had bought, and I clutched the bag to my chest as I hurried through the streets, making a beeline back towards the loft.

The last thing I could remember clearly before the dressing room was that girl, Canary they had called her. And her words...  _“Why don't you two take your new girlfriend there, scurry off somewhere else, and fuck? And leave me be.”_

She had to have been parahuman. She was a cape, of some type, with some type of power of suggestion, or something. Something that made people listen to her orders. And she had used that power on all three of us. I felt sick to my stomach as I entered the hideout, and paused before going up the stairs.

Lisa appeared at the head of the stairway and hurried down. “What happened?” she demanded immediately. “You look... terrible. What happened? Who did this?”

Brian appeared, drawn by her urgency, and came down after her. “Are you alright?”

I nodded weakly. “I'm... I'm fine. I just... just feel sick.”

“Why? What happened?” Brian asked, but Lisa gasped, and went rigid.

“I'll fucking kill her,” she growled.

“Language,” I tried to admonish her, but she shook her head once.

“It's damn well called for here. I'll fucking rip her eyes out.”

“Lisa, calm down. What happened?” Brian said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Lisa shrugged it off angrily, pacing in a quick, short line. I watched her for a second, then winced as I looked at Brian. “I apparently met someone called Canary.”

“The singer?” Brian asked. I nodded. “Okay. And?”

“And her powers revolve around suggestion. When she sings, or speaks passionately, she can imbue them with her powers, and they influence you. If she does it strongly enough, she can make people obey her commands, follow her orders. They act like they're in a trance, do whatever she says.”

“This doesn't sound good.”

I shook my head. “It gets worse. Gallant and Aegis were there. I just happened to be in the wrong spot, wrong time... but she... she told us...”

I trailed off, and after a moment, Brian gently nudged me. “Told you what?”

Lisa spun to face him, and she looked like fury embodied. Even I shrank back from her a little. “She told them to go fuck.”

Brian straightened, and looked embarrassed. “Oh... oh. I see.”

Lisa's face softened as she saw the tears in my eyes, and she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me against her. I buried my face in her shoulder. “I'm not mad at you,” she whispered. “Not even a tiny little bit. Okay?”

I nodded slightly. Brian ran a hand over his hair, looking awkward and self-conscious. “I uh... what can we do?”

Lisa looked up at him. “What do you think we do? We go after her, and we nail her ass to the fucking wall.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Warren watched the news report, feeling the pit in his stomach deepen and drop. He could remember, if he focused on it hard enough, the character sheets that he and Kelsey had put together, and remembered now that she had indeed added this particular little quirk. A part of him was mad at her. Because she had put that one little thing on her sheet, millions of people were suffering, dying. Panic would soon rise to a global scale, and the fight would be here before they knew it. He grit his teeth, trying to be mad outwardly about it, but couldn't force the emotion—because of its source—out to express it to her. Besides, how fair was it? Logically he knew that she, here, wasn't to blame. When they had made their sheets, they hadn't expected to be living here, playing with the global scale of events, affecting lives, manipulating events, changing the story to this degree. It had all been meant to be a story, like it was originally. Just words on paper. No big deal, no one actually died.

But now they were here, _living in_ these events. What happened if they were infected, or died? What happened if Taylor was, and she died? She was the hero, in the long run. How were they affecting her development as a person, as a character? She hadn't had the severe confrontation with Bakuda. What else would they affect? And while he agreed with Brian's plans and strategy to implement Kelsey's abilities into the team, he couldn't help but notice how they were turning towards him, and her, already. Instead of towards Taylor. He didn't think Kelsey noticed... she was too tired, for one thing, and he watched her drift off quickly into a nap, but he also believed she was truly ignorant as to how much they were already coming to trust her. And looking towards him in fighting situations. He had proved just how much of an asset he was against Glory Girl, then again when Bakuda ambushed them. And proved he was loyal by looking after Bitch, and inadvertently stepped into a leadership role, given orders directly to Grue himself...

He could only hope, on some level, that they were safe and well back home somehow, that they were dreaming this, somehow, and that if they died here, they wouldn't die back home. It made the pit in his stomach clench even tighter; he had plans, ideas... things he wanted to still accomplish with his life... and slowly, that pit hardened into firm, pure determination. He would live through this, and make sure Kelsey, and whoever else on his team he could save, did as well. They would come out of this the better, he vowed to himself.

As the group split up for their daily activities, he found himself tagging after Bitch again.

She eyed him as he followed her down the stairway, and turned to confront him once they were outside, nearly a block away from the hideout. “What are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Can't do much with anyone else. Following you.”

“Why?”

“Because you're interesting.”

She paused at that, then turned away. “You just want something from me. Fuck off.”

He shook his head, and stepped closer. She didn't move away, and he took that as a good sign. “How are your injuries?”

She glanced at him. “Fine.”

“You should still be laid up. You got hit hard.”

She shrugged. “I'm not. I'm fine. Bit of a headache.”

He reached up, and she flinched away. “Just want to check your eyes, for any signs of a concussion,” he said, and she relented, letting him. After pulling her eyes open and looking into her pupils, he ran his hand down her cheek, over her shoulder. “You seem to be perfectly fine.”

“Told you,” she said gruffly.

“Still, I'd like to come. Just in case anything happens.”

She eyed him for a moment. “You want to help?”

He nodded. “Fine. I'm going to kick the shit out of some fuckbags running a dogfighting ring. You can come.”

He fell into step next to her. She only had one of her dogs with her this time, and they moved quickly, avoiding any main streets where people would see them. Even so, he kept his hood pulled up and tried to slouch a bit, to look smaller than he was. He couldn't wait for the parts to come in so Kelsey could build him the projector; it would make going out into public venues that much easier. They stepped into an alley, and Bitch took the leash and collar from her dog, tucking them into her pocket, and began to use her power, beefing up the dog.

It was a strange, and slightly unpleasant, scene to watch, so Warren turned away, watching the entry to alley to make sure no one wandered in instead. After a few minutes, he turned back to see Bitch standing in front of the great big behemoth that her dog was now, and she nodded once. They walked around the front of the building, Bitch motioning for him to knock. He did so, and the guy answered by sliding open a little panel so he could look out. He took one look at the two of them, then slammed it shut.

“Brutus, open the door,” Bitch said, pointing, and her dog lowered his head, running into the door and smashing it open, clean off its hinges. The lookout at the door was bellowing warnings as he sprinted inside. Warren took point, heading in first, layering his black armor around his body as he walked in, Bitch following. Brutus shook his way through the too-small doorway, tearing the frame apart as she did so. “Guard,” she told him, and he set himself in way of anyone that might try to run out. She turned to Warren. “Grue will be pissed if we kill anyone. Just knock them around.”

He nodded, and they rounded the corner into the fighting pits arena. Several men were standing on the far side in front of a small crowd of bystanders, people that had been gambling on the fights.

Bitch stepped up next to him. “This shit is over,” she shouted.

“Fuck off!” one of the men shouted back, raising the pistol in his hand...

Warren stepped in front of her as they fired. The bullets hit his armor, embedding in it, but were stopped completely. He layered new armor into the cracks and crevices even as more and more came, the men emptying their clips at the two, hitting only Warren and the wall behind him.

Then he attacked, rushing across the ring, leaping clear over one of the pits and landing in their midst. His weapons of choice, his maces, formed in both hands, and he twirled, taking down the two closest. The others scattered, reloading their guns, as the crowd made a rush for the exit... and found Brutus guarding it. The first few around the corner flew back into the press of people rushing towards the exit, howling as Brutus casually tossed them aside with his paw, tail, or head. He hammered several more backwards as Warren went after the gunmen one at a time, their bullets less than useless as they tried to hammer him into submission. One by one they went down as he roared and leapt at them, swinging his maces.

By the time the last was down, Bitch was already gathering the cages the dogs had been kept in, and lining them up by the doorway. She motioned to Brutus, who laid down in front of the door, growling as people kept trying to get out. “You are free to go, but do this shit again, and trust me, I will fucking find you, and fucking end you. Get the fuck out.”

Brutus shuffled out of the shattered doorway, and let those that still could run for it. A van sitting outside backed up to the door, and she began carrying the cages out, loading them into it. Warren grabbed a couple, and helped out, the dogs inside growling and snapping as he carried them into the van.

Once they were loaded up, Brutus was almost back down to his normal size, and hopped in the front seat. Bitch looked at Warren, and gave him a nod. “I'm gonna take them someplace safe. You can't come.”

“Fair enough.” He waved her off, and she took off, and he went back to the hideout before the cops and capes could show up.

When he got there, Taylor was busy on the lower floor, trying to move a bunch of stuff around. He stepped in to help, and she shot a grateful smile at him. “Thanks... trying to get some space so I can set up some areas for some spiders... so I can make some uniforms.”

He nodded. “Not a problem. Where do you want stuff?”

She began pointing out what needed to go where, and he shuffled the boxes about.

“So glad someone else showed up.” She stood straight, her hands on her back, and stretched out. “It was taking me a while to get things moved around.”

He nodded. “No one else willing to help?”

She shook her head. “Brian's out picking up stuff, Lisa went to meet someone, Alec is a lump on a log, no idea where you and Bi... Rachel... went off to. And Kelsey is sleeping.”

“Just us two, huh?” he set down another crate, and turned, walking back towards her to pick up another, but as he did so, decided to push his luck with her a little bit, and touched her with his power, just a small, tiny amount, but he saw her cheeks flush as she looked at him approaching.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I, um... meant to ask you... about the other day. With you and Bi... Rachel.”

“Hm?” he asked, passing her, catching just a slight waft of her scent. She smelled fresh, clean... female, with just a touch of soap, body wash... in short, she smelled good. He picked up the next crate, and carried it back while she watched for a moment.

“Was um... what you did... did you do it on purpose?” She rubbed her hands together in front of her, obviously a little nervous. “The whole thing, I mean. All set up?”

He chuckled slightly. “Not really, no. I was genuinely curious if her power would work on me. When it was obvious that it didn't, I could see us having issues, butting heads for dominance. I get the impression that you and her have done the same?”

Taylor blushed then, glancing away. “Yeah... a little bit.”

“To me, it was pretty obvious, she thinks and acts like a pack leader of her dogs. Maybe I'm more in tune with that than the others are, because... well, look at me. And you seem to have an innate understanding of differing social hierarchies. Maybe because of your powers, as well? But you seem to know what Bitch responds best to. I showed her I'm not here to fuck around, and that if I tell her to do something, she damn well better do it.” He walked back over to her, and paused in front of her. “I can show you, too, if you like.”

Taylor blushed even hotter, studying the ground intently. “That... wasn't quite what I was getting at...”

Warren reached forward, placing a finger under her chin, and raised her face to look her in the eye. “You're a pretty girl. Maybe not a perfect ten, but beautiful in your own way. Are you jealous of Rachel? Think the others prefer her? Think that I do?”

She bit her lip, then gave a tiny nod. “A little bit.”

Warren gave her a wolfish grin. “Don't think that.” He leaned forward, and licked her cheek, up to her ear, which he gave a teasing brush with his tongue. “I much prefer you.”

She shivered slightly as he pulled back. “I've um.. never... done... that.”

“Sex?” She shook her head slightly. “Do you want to?” She paused before answering, and he upped his power on her, just a tiny amount, stepping closer, his finger under her chin sliding down her pale throat softly, plucking at the collar of her shirt. Then she nodded ever so slightly, her lips open as she exhaled softly. Warren smiled and gave her another lick, this one running up her neck, along her hairline to her ear, his nubile tongue twisting around the folds and dipping within, making her gasp slightly as her arousal heightened. He put his other hand on her waist, feeling her body quiver ever-so-slightly as he pulled her in a touch, and turned his attention to the other side of her neck, licking it as he had the first. She gave a soft sigh as his tongue tickled her ear, and put her hands against his chest, pushing his coat open enough that her palms laid flat against the furred, muscled expanse of his body. He pulled her a little closer, tipped her head back, and licked the front of her pale throat, up to her chin, then let her tip her head back down until his tongue was against her lips. She opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out a little, meeting his with her, in their own type of kiss, letting his tongue into her mouth, which he leisurely explored and caressed hers.

His hand on her hip ghosted around, till it rested on her bottom. Say what you wanted about Taylor's figure, it was hard to deny that she had a delicious, rounded bottom, well-sculpted by her running, perky and firm as he gave it a little squeeze, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth while her eyes closed and she lost herself in the foreign sensations of sexual arousal and stimulation that he evoked within her. She pressed her lower body against his, feeling his length within his pants, not fully hard, but there, alive, pressing against her thigh, and a shiver ran through her as she remembered seeing that thick hard shaft plunge into Rachel, taking her like... well. Like a bitch in heat, bent over the same counter that was now lined with cages containing her bugs and spiders. He squeezed her firm behind again, pressing his growing erection into her, and she gasped, her hands clenching into fists in his fur as he licked her ears and neck again, pulling her shirt over one shoulder and licking both sides of her bra strap, nibbling gently on her collarbone...

“Sorry to interrupt, but you guys are about to have company,” Lisa said from the stairs.

Taylor spun out of his grip, cheeks flaming hot, and hid behind a pillar of boxes Warren hadn't moved as of yet.

Warren smirked at Lisa. “Wanna join in?”

She winked at him. “I'm good, thanks. Was a good show, though.”

“Oh, God,” Taylor moaned from her hiding spot.

Lisa giggled. “It's quite all right, I'm not judging. You do what makes you feel good. These days, take it where you can find it.” She stretched, and yawned. “Just thought you might like to know Brian was nearly back, and Kelsey will wake up soon.”

Taylor peeked out. “You don't... think I'm a slut?”

Lisa snorted. “Of course not. Why would I think that?”

Taylor's eyes flickered to Warren, then she gave a shrug. “Just seems... that's what others would do.”

Lisa smiled at her. “I'm not like 'others' don't worry. You guys will have all the time you'd like soon, I'd wager.”

“I don't mind an audience,” Warren said, winking at Taylor as he lifted another crate, resuming the work. If it was possible, she blushed even deeper, and tried to focus on what she was doing, directing him around the room with different items.

Not a full minute passed, and Brian walked in, spotting their work and heading to speak with Lisa. A few moments later, when Warren looked again, Kelsey was sitting with Lisa, and all three were talking. Then Taylor saw Kelsey, and called her over to get her measurements.

“Getting personal, huh?” Kelsey joked as Taylor took her inseam, her hands on the girl's inner thigh, even touching the junction of her thighs as she made sure everything was accurate. Taylor nearly dropped her tape measure, blushing again, and glanced at Warren. He smirked back at her, and she went back to work, taking the last few she needed. Kelsey and Lisa headed back upstairs, and Brian walked over.

“I'm going back out. Get you two some phones. Need anything else while I'm out?”

Taylor paused, glancing over her workspace. “New pair of sharp shears would be good.”

He nodded. “I'll grab them. Anything else?”

She shook her head, and Warren did the same, and Brian bid them farewell before walking off... leaving the two of them alone again. Warren walked over to the cages, and crouched down to peer inside. He could see several dozen spiders in the cages, and despite himself shuddered slightly.

Taylor followed him over. “I need to make sure they have plenty to eat tonight, so they can produce good silk tomorrow,” she said softly, and he stepped back, watching as hundreds of gnats and other rapid-reproducing, rather “minor” insects streamed right into each cage, walking into webs. Spiders set to work immediately, devouring their dinner. It was perhaps one of the most unnerving things he had seen, and he felt a slight shudder run down his spine as he straightened.

“Creepy,” he growled.

Taylor shrugged. “It's the natural order, I'm just... making it easier, I guess. Since I restrict what they do, where they go, I have to make sure they can survive.”

Warren nodded. “I understand that, it's just so... unusual seeing anything walk willingly like that to its death. Even an insect.”

Taylor just nodded, falling silent. “Kind of ruined the mood, didn't I,” she observed after several long moments of silence.

Warren turned to her, and gave her a wolfish grin. “Nah. Just delayed it a moment, I would say.”

She gave him a little smile, and he turned to her, taking her waist in both hands and pulling her close again. She put her hands right back on his chest, same place they had been earlier, and looked up at him, and he licked her cheek, her ear, then stuck his tongue into her mouth again. Taylor gave a soft whimper as she sucked on it eagerly, pressing her lithe body full into his own, giving herself over to the desire that was naturally already there, and only slightly enhanced by his power. He gripped her behind with one hand, giving her firm flesh a good squeeze, and ran his other hand up her side, under her shirt, pulling it up as he did so, until she had to lean back slightly to pull it off over her head. She was wearing a plain black bra underneath, but he liked the look of the dark against her pale skin. He licked down her ivory throat, and squeezed a small breast through her bra, making her gasp softly. She watched as he ran his tongue over the swell of one breast, down to the dip between them, them up over the other, tracing the edge of her bra cups.

She giggled slightly as he leaned her back a little, supporting her with his hand on her bottom, his arm across the small of her back, and pushed her bra down enough to expose one hard, pink nipple... his tongue ran around it, and caressed it, then he gently took it into his mouth, pulling on it with his teeth, but not hard enough to cause even a little bit of pain. She moaned at that, and pressed her chest up more, reaching behind herself to unsnap her bra, shrugging the straps off of her shoulders, and tossed it aside, letting him have full access to her small breasts. He switched back and forth between her tender, erect nipples, licking and caressing, and slid his hand on her bottom under her jeans and panties, feeling the silky smooth texture of her skin as he pushed his finger along the valley of her bottom, curling his fingers under her until he felt the heat and moisture coming from her sex, and slid his finger along her slit from behind and beneath. She moaned again, attempting to spread her legs just a little, to give him more room, and he lifted her straight up into the air, carrying her to an empty bench, without any crates of spiders on it, and sat her on the edge, sliding his hand back out, trailing a clawtip up her spine, just enough to make her shiver. Then he undid her jeans, and pulled them down her slender, toned legs. She was wearing simple black bikini-cut panties underneath, that matched her bra, and once again her admired the contrast between the dark cloth and her ivory-pale skin. She spread her legs as he ran his hands up her thighs, then down her inner thighs, out to her knees, pushing her legs wider, and lifted them up, trailing the backs of his fingers down the backs of her legs, then lifted her bottom slightly to pull her panties out from under her, and down her smooth legs. He took them off one leg, letting them dangle around her knee from the other, and laid her down on her back on the bench, crouching before her, pushing her legs up to her knees as he licked the backs of her thighs, her bottom, teasing but not quite touching her sex. She was wet, and already very ready, he could tell. Her pussy was puffy from arousal, spreading itself open, and he could see her wet pink insides as he ran his tongue up the crease of her thigh, getting a little taste of her juices that had leaked out of her. He ran it down the other side, over the curve of her bottom, then placed it at the end of the valley between her cheeks, and up, slowly, across her other hole, all the way up her wet pussy to the very top. She wasn't shaved down there, but had hardly any pubic hair to speak of, sparse and thin. He used his thumbs to pull her lower lips apart, and slid his tongue between them, snaking it into her tight little hole, and felt the barrier that was her maidenhead.

Taylor gasped and moaned, arching her back off of the counter, pressing her sex harder into his tongue. “Holy shit that feels good,” she moaned again, as he rubbed her clit with his nose as he tongue-fucked her, sliding his tongue in and out of the entrance to her tiny little fuckhole. She groaned as he twisted his tongue within her, pushing against her little hymen, straining it for a moment, stretching it, then pulled back, licking up the excess juices that were leaking from her, and licked lower, pushing his tongue against her other hole, wiggling it around, making her whimper and roll her hips as it worked its way inside of her. He placed his thumb over her clit, careful to keep his claws away from her tender insides, and ground on it while he slid this tongue inside of her, rolling and twisting and undulating the flexible muscle, making her roll her head as pleasure coursed through her, then exploded outwards as she experienced her first orgasm of the day, toes curling, legs quivering, body tensing. He slid his tongue out of her ass, and back to her pussy, licking up her cum that ran out of her lips, pressing her clit with his teeth slightly, then flicked his tongue back inside of her tight channel, making her gasp and buck up against him. He licked his way up her belly, over her hard nipples, caressing her perky little breasts, and licked her cheek. She opened her mouth and let his tongue inside eagerly, sucking on it, tasting herself on him and not caring; pushing her hips up as she felt his erection, still clad within his pants, pushing against her hot, wet pussy...

“Fuck me,” she begged, looking up at him, eyes dilated in the sexual rush, her body writhing against their single point of contact. He reached down, undid his pants, pushed them down, and took his cock in one hand, guiding the head up and down her slick pussy, getting the head nice and wet. She moaned and pushed impatiently against him as he guided the tip into her entrance, and pushed in just a little bit, stretching her lips out, her body flexing as he began to slide inside of her. He leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her head, and pushed in just a little more, feeling her virgin barrier stretching around his cockhead. She was so wet, so ready for it, that he simply slid through it rather than tearing her open, and she moaned, long and loudly, as he sank completely into her, burying his cock deep within her young body. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him into her harder, trying to get him inside even deeper. He could feel the firm, yet soft embrace of her cervix against his cockhead as he pushed inside of her. She groaned and flexed her hips, sliding him out, then burying him back into her, and he began to move, slowly at first, long, slow strokes that took him completely out of her wet, hot sheath, then shoving back in. She pulled him in with her strong legs, and rolled her hips, flexing and arching her back, shoving her pussy up to take his cock inside of her with every movement.

He groaned, and began to move faster, unable to resist the silken heat of Taylor's nubile body, so pure and fresh. Taylor cried out as he bucked into her, picking up speed and force, her body vibrating on the bench as he began to move faster and faster, the sound of her panting for breath accompanied by his low growls and the wet sounds of his cock pounding her pussy.

It wasn't long before Taylor was in the grip of another orgasm, her body jerking and clenching on his own. Warren grit his teeth with a low growl as he felt his own orgasm rush over him, and pulled out of her tight, clenching pussy, laying his cock atop of her wet slit, and watched as his cum shot out over her stomach, painting it with thick white lines of his cum. He came and came, until it was dripping off her sides, some shots going as high as her perky little breasts, her bellybutton completely covered in it... she giggled as she looked down at herself, then let herself sag against the bench as he turned and sat, breathing hard, trying to catch his breath after his mind-blowing orgasm.

For several long minutes, neither of them moved, then Taylor asked weakly... “Could you.. uh... fetch me a towel, or something? Please?”

He chuckled as he rose, and pulled his pants up, tucking himself away, and found some towels near one of her spider cages. He brought it over and handed it to her, and she began mopping up the worst of the mess he had made on her belly, sitting upright. Once the majority was clean, she pulled on her bra and panties, shrugged back into her shirt, and pulled up her jeans. “Guess I need a shower,” she murmured.

He shrugged. “I don't know, I like the smell of my cum on you.” She blushed hotly at that, and he wrapped her in his arms, giving her a firm embrace. “Any time you want it, just let me know. I'd be glad to do that whenever.”

She giggled, and bit her lip. “Okay. I'll... do that.”

Then she turned, and hurried up to the loft, to take a shower, before she got back to work. Warren went up the stairs, saw Lisa and Kelsey working in the corner on her stuff, and decided a good nap was in order, crashing on the couch Alec wasn't occupying. Alec shot him a look as he did so.

“You guys are loud. And annoying.”

Warren shrugged. “Deal with it.”

Alec looked at him for a second, then smiled. “You're alright.”

* * * * * * *

The next day was rather eventless, and Warren spent most of it lounging about the loft. Bitch returned briefly, but didn't interact with anyone before heading out again. Kelsey was busy with her gear, lost in a zone that he imagined only tinkers could truly appreciate, and he watched her work for a while before becoming lost in the way she twisted wires together and laid components together, and walked off, shaking his head to clear it. Taylor had begun working on a couple projects of her own, and buried herself in her work, seemingly determined to ignore their sexual adventure the day before, and ignored him when he came down to see if he could help. He ended up watching Alec play games most of the day, snoozing off and on.

The day after was little better. Kelsey had finished most of the work on her project, but, of course, found new things to do, and went to the shops. It wasn't something he could do with her yet, without his projector, so once again he ended up hanging about the loft. He spoke to Lisa briefly, trying to drop hints and suggestions that he and Kelsey were something more, but even putting it into extremely subtle ways, hoping her power would pick up on it, proved to be impossible, and left her staring at him curiously, as if wondering what was wrong with him.

He went back down to see what Taylor had done so far, and was impressed to see her progress. She had a good half of the suit for Kelsey done, with a few thousand spiders working with eerie amounts of coordination on the benches, layering their silk and weaving it together into tight cloth. She watched and managed, cycling in new spiders when others ran low. He noted the steady, but slow, flow of gnats and the like into the spider cages, feeding those that were regenerating their silk supply, nourishing them for the work. It was like watching a god of their own world at work, the way she directed and oversaw the work with minimal outwards action, sitting and watching, only taking the larger pieces and rearranging them once a certain section was done. He noted that most of what she was making was seamless, strong, and durable, black like her own costume. He left her to his work, and went back upstairs.

It wasn't that much longer, however, before Taylor came up to take a break, complaining of a minor headache. She took some tylenol and went to her room for a bit to lay down. And not long after that, Lisa stormed up the stairs, looking like a thundercloud impersonified.

“Suit up,” she snapped at Alec. “We have fucking work to do.”

Alec glanced at her in surprise, but didn't even bother to object, getting up and heading for his room. Warren stood, glancing back at the stairs as Kelsey and Brian came up. Brian looked half as furious as Lisa had, like he was struggling to keep his cool, and remain calm. Kelsey was pale, looking shocked...

“What happened?” he asked, stepping over to them at once.

“Canary is in town,” Brian explained. “She had a run in with her, with a couple of the Wards.”

His eyes snapped to Kelsey. Canary... he focused his attention, and brought his previous knowledge to bear. A singer, who had powers. Powers of speech and persuasion. If he remembered correctly, she had ended up in the Birdcage for telling her ex to “go fuck himself” and he had taken her quite literally. Intimidated by the range of her powers and influence, the courts had sent her to the Birdcage rather than take any risks. And if she had had an encounter with Kelsey...

“She told them to... well. You get the picture. They were hit by her power; unable to stop it. But it's as much an assault on one of ours as someone kicking her ass. We're going after her.”

Warren looked up at Brian and nodded. “I'm ready.”

“Wait,” Kelsey said softly, then hurried to her room, the one she shared with Lisa. She came back, trailed after by Tattletale in full costume already. “We'll need these. Ear pieces, I made them this morning, didn't really think about it, just did it, you know.. in case. But we can put these in, and then earplugs over them. Should be able to counter her powers. If we can't hear her, then she can't tell us to... fuck... off...” Kelsey trailed off, her face growing pale again. Tattle knelt and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“I called Bitch and Skitter. They're on their way.” She took an earpiece from Kelsey, and slipped it into her ear. “How does this work?”

“I um... linked them to my VI. KC. When she's powered on, they'll act as open communications between all others that are linked. Basically, you say it, we'll hear it. There's a little microphone in the base that's designed to pick up vocal pattern audio vibrations only. Meaning we won't hear background noise, but if someone is standing close enough to you, we might hear them as well. You don't even have to talk very loudly, as it's in your ear, and you hear yourself more through the fluid vibrations in your ear from your own speech more than you do from your mouth. I thought they would be a good way for everyone to keep in contact with one another, in the field.”

“They're brilliant,” Brian mused, and took one, putting it in his ear. “I have some earplugs in my room. I'll bring them out with me.” He headed off to get dressed, and Warren took an earpiece, fitting it into place. It was a little awkward, as they were clearly more designed for human ears than his own. Kelsey noticed and blushed.

“Sorry, I didn't think about that. I'll build you a new one later.”

“It's alright, little one,” he said softly. “Are you alright?”

“I'm not hurt, or anything, just... a little shaken up.”

Taylor jogged up the stairs. She was breathing hard, out of breath from running to the loft. Lisa filled her in quickly, and sent her off to get into costume. Then she took Kelsey back to the room. When they came back out, Kelsey was wearing a skin-tight black jumpsuit, black yoga pants, and an underarmour stretch shirt. Lisa helped her fit her armor over the jumpsuit, and power it on. When Kelsey came back, she looked for all the world like an intimidating force in and of herself.

“Okay. Everyone hear me?” He barely saw her mouth move, but heard her voice, clear as day, in his earpiece. He nodded. She smiled. Lisa jumped slightly.

“Wow, these are great,” she murmured. Again, clear as day.

Bitch came up the stairs, and Tattletale handed her an earpiece, explaining them briefly. She scowled, but put it on. Grue came out in full costume, and passed out the earplugs. They put them in over the earpieces. Warren was surprised to note that he couldn't hear a single sound but what the earpieces relayed.

“Remember to keep your distance from her. If she can speak loudly enough that the microphone will pick up her voice, I'm not sure if it'll relay her powers. Avoid eye contact with her as well, as I'm not entirely sure how her power affects you. This isn't guaranteed to work, but it's a right side better than going in completely unprepared,” Brian said. They all nodded. Skitter and Alec joined them, and put in the earpiece and earplugs, then she pulled her mask on.

“Everyone ready?” Nods all around. “Let's go.”

They headed downstairs and out to find all three of Bitch's dogs already quite large. She had obviously planned ahead. Grue pulled Skitter up onto one of the dogs with himself, and Tattletale and Twilight took another. Bitch took Brutus with Alec, and Warren shook off his trenchcoat, tossing it at the stairs, and lowered himself onto all fours. He could run like a wolf, if he needed to. It was actually exciting, doing so.

“Where was she heading last?” Tattletale asked.

“I'm not sure. She was just walking through the Boardwalk.”

“Then we start there,” Grue said decisively.

“She'll still be there. She likes her fame, the attention. She thinks she's gotten off without any issues; Gallant and Aegis will both be too embarrassed about what happened to report back immediately, and take their time about it. We're ahead of them by at least a couple of hours.” Tattletale's voice took on that slightly “far-away” tone it did when she was using her power to pluck information out of thin air.

“Good. Let's move.”

Warren brought up the rear, keeping up with the dogs easily as they loped through the streets. When they rounded the last corner, and the Boardwalk came into sight, they drew immediate attention. People pointing, screaming, running...

It wasn't everyday, afterall, that you saw the Undersiders coming racing down on the Boardwalk itself. They ran down the street, ignoring startled people that were running in all directions, bypassing shops, looking for...

“There!” Twilight called. “Those two tall figures ahead in black. They're her bodyguards.”

Grue summoned his darkness, blanketing the entire area. “Still hear me?” he called out. A chorus of affirmatives echoed back. It seemed Twilight really knew how to make a clever little device. Grue cleared an area in the middle, where the bodyguards were. Standing between them was Canary herself, eyes wide as she looked around in surprise. Warren saw her mouth move, and remembered to avoid eye contact, looking away. Her bodyguards drew weapons. One had a gun, the other a baton in one hand, and a knife in the other. They both moved to face off against the approaching villains, though it had to be absolutely clear who had the upper hand. It was clear they were relying on Canary's powers to swing the favor to their side.

The one with a gun jerked, and slapped his neck, then opened his mouth in a soundless—to the Undersiders—cry as he was stung again and again. Wasps flew straight down, landing on both of them, and soon they were twisting and flailing their arms about, weapons forgotten as Skitter took them both straight out of the fight with hardly a thought. Bitch lunged forward, Brutus striking Canary with one shoulder and sending her spinning to the ground. She got up slowly, shaking her head. Tattletale jumped down, motioning for Twilight to stay on the dog, and marched straight over to her, and kicked her full in the stomach, lifting her clear of the ground and tossing her on her back. She curled into the fetal position as Tattle kicked her back.

“Bitch! Thought you could just walk through her and do whatever you wanted, did you? You fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us!” Tattle yelled at her, her words clear as day, and thankfully, Warren noted, muted a bit through the earpieces so she wasn't screaming in their ears. Grue slid off of his dog and walked over, gently pulling Tattletale back, and letting Canary slowly get to her feet. She was crying, Warren noted from a distance. Her fancy makeup smeared and streaking down her cheeks. She had probably never been hit like that in her life, and finding a group of people that were pissed off at her, apparently immune to her powers, she was feeling very, very overwhelmed.

“Well, what do we do with her?” Regent asked. “This was fairly easy, as things go.”

“You have Twilight to thank for that,” Grue said. “We would be tearing each other to pieces if she had her way. I can read her lips, she's saying 'kill eachother' over and over.” A slight pause, then he chuckled. “Seems the earpieces and earplugs worked after all.”

“Great. That still doesn't answer my question.”

“We tie her ass up. We leave her here, and call in the PRT.” Skitter sounded so sure, so confident. It made Warren's day to hear that note of confidence in her voice. “Gag her so she can't speak, put up a sign to warn others to stay away, and let the PRT know what they're dealing with.”

“Sounds good to me. She can spend the rest of her life rotting in the Birdcage,” Tattletale growled.

“Alright. Rope?” Grue asked. Warren walked over to a shop on the edge of the darkness. There were some tassles and ropes that had been holding some balloons up. He pulled them down, and brought them over. They popped the balloons, and tied her ankles to her wrists tightly, then covered her mouth thoroughly with some of the balloons before tying them down tightly. Tattletale tied another around the bottom of her jaw and the top of her head, so she couldn't even open her mouth behind her make-shift gag, then kicked her again.

“Let's go. I'll call the PRT on the way back, send in the tip.”

“They're probably already on their way, I'm sure our presence here has been reported.” Regent sounded bored. As usual.

“Good. Then they'll get to her quicker. Let's disappear.”

So they did, Riding out, following Grue as he lead the way through his darkness, back to the edge of the Boardwalk. He spread the darkness out, coating several streets, and they slowed the dogs to a walk, then hopped off, letting them revert to normal size as they walked the rest of the way back to the loft. The only sound was Tattle on the phone, reporting Canary's actions, saying that she had been bound and gagged, and was ready for pickup. When the person on the other end obviously questioned the validity of her accusations, she retorted, “If you don't believe me, just ask Gallant what the fuck happened. I'm sure he'll be happy to put her in the Birdcage.” And hung up.

Warren smirked as they entered the loft, the darkness outside still blanketing several blocks. It would dissipate after some time, but for the moment, he felt good. They had done something... right. It seemed that if they kept on this type of a path, they just may end up extremely receptive to his proposal of joining forces with New Wave, when he brought it up... soon.

 


	7. Chapter 7

I sat at the back of the table, my visor feeding me a constant flow of information as I sat behind Skitter and Tattletale, watching the rest of the villains file into the dimly lit restaurant. Each person that stepped in was scanned without even knowing it, their face and any identifying characteristics being uploaded quickly and searched online, pulling brief snippets and summaries of their powers and names they were known by into the side of my visor, so I could read a little bit, and know at least... something. It wasn't quite as effective as Tattletale's method of getting information about various things or on different sources, but it was indeed effective. Warren and Grue sat on the end of the table closest to the others, hands folded on the table before them. Warren was wearing his new projector, which broadcast a perfect, stable holographic view around his body. It was currently programmed to look like a younger, handsome caucasian male, with dark hair, nearly black, that was neatly groomed, a well-maintained goatee and mustache, and clean-shaven cheeks. He was looking around the room slowly.

Skitter appeared the most on-edge from our group, fidgeting slightly, though I could tell she was fighting for self-control. Without fully realizing it, I reached out, taking her hand in my own, and gave it a gentle squeeze. The undersuit she had completed for me was thin, but extremely durable, much as her own, plated with my armor and only visible in a few areas. It came up to my chin, so my neck was covered, the straps from my visor locking in to it behind my head, under my hair. I had ran sensors and wires into and through the fabric—a process that had taken me nearly an entire day—and could literally _feel_ with the fabric of the suit, instead of feeling through it, and felt her tense in my grip, then relax just a touch when she realized it was me.

“Skitter, relax,” I said softly, a bare whisper. The earpiece system had had a slight upgrade done to it as well; I had installed a filter that allowed us to speak only to those we wanted to, if necessary. If a sentence started with a cape name, followed by a slight pause, the transmission was relayed only to that cape's earpiece. If it was rushed, like if they were calling out a warning, it would still be relayed to all. It had necessitated a slight delay in the relay, but the delay was literally less than one full second, so I figured that was acceptable. She turned her head in my direction, her yellow lenses peering into my purple visor, and gave a slight nod. I felt her relax a little more, and gave her a tiny smile.

Tattletale's leg pressed against mine under the table, calling my attention back to the gathering. I glanced around the table. There were quite a few people here, a lot of firepower packed into a small area. I was glad for the small briefing she had given me ahead of time, telling me of the rules, so to speak, of gatherings like this. It was a bit of an odd situation that had brought us together like this, but still, one that needed addressing, with everyone on the same page.

Kaiser stood at the very head of the table, flanked by his twins. Nearby stood Purity, her arms crossed as she watched, without sitting. Several of the others gathered around were feigning disinterest, but their eyes darted rapidly, flickering from person to person, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of those gathered that were readily apparent. I saw several studying me closely. As a newcomer to the area, and a new addition to the Undersiders, most of the others had no real clue what my powers and abilities were. I saw a few mouth the words “Tinker” to themselves as they studied my armor, which was apparent, but they didn't know me, or what I was doing here. A few murmured amongst themselves, just loud enough that I could hear, that I didn't belong, as I was too young, just a kid. My fists clenched at those comments, but I pretended not to notice.

The Travelers showed up, then Faultline walked in. The way she looked at Tattletale made me instantly dislike her, and the rest of her group that trailed in behind her. I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but she set me on edge immediately, like she was looking for an excuse to start something. I bit my lip, holding my silence, and heard Tattletale talk in my ear a moment later. “Twilight... Faultline is something like a sore spot for me. If she says anything to you, does anything to rile you up, do your best to ignore it. She looks for ways to get under my skin, and the fact that you're sitting next to me is enough of a reason for her to target you.”

I reached under the table, and gave her thigh a soft pat, acknowledging her words without turning to face her, and let anyone else know she had talked to me. Her hand covered mine briefly, then slipped away, and I brought my own hand back into my own lap.

“I think it's best we get right into it, and cut the typical formalities,” Kaiser said at the head of the table. There had been some minor squabbling over seating a few moments before, but it seemed largely past as he leaned forward on the table, both fists bracing his bulk as he did so. “We all know why we're here. We have two things going on, one in our own backyard, and the other soon will be.”

“As troublesome as the first one may be, it's not overtly serious. Why should we even step in at all?” That from Coil, who sat across from Grue, his presence somewhat of an oddity to me. My searches had all come up with unknowns on him, and only asking Tattle about him had gotten me a name to put to his costume.

“He's right, let the fucking heroes sort that shit out,” Trickster said, folding his arms. “It has nothing to do with us.”

“It's impacted some members in this room. I believe we have Twilight to thank that it isn't more severe.” Kaiser's words turned at least five or six sets of eyes to stare directly at me. “She is the one responsible for ending Bakuda afterall, am I correct, Grue?”

Grue nodded. “She is.”

I bit my lip, but said nothing. I still wasn't entirely at peace with what had happened that day. I had put the majority of it behind me, accepting it as doing what was necessary at the time, but hindsight, as they said, was always better, and I wished I could have done more.

“So the rest of the ABB has gone nuts. So? Point still stands. Let the heroes sort this shit out.” Trickster leaned back in his chair, clearly expecting support from the others.

And he got it.

Faultline was the next to speak up. “Unless someone wants to hire us, and pay us to clear out the ABB, or unless the directly fuck with us, we're staying completely out of it. Not our business.”

Others voiced their agreement, including Purity and other members of the E88. I looked around the table, and felt the support dwindling. The meeting had been called largely to discuss whether or not the killing spree that Oni-Lee had started was drastic enough to draw the rest of the villains down upon him. As we, the Undersiders, were the primary target of his assaults, they had been focused mainly around the Docks, an area that had already been largely under the control of the ABB, with few others having any business interests in the area. Getting involved now for them meant risking more than they stood to gather, and none of them were willing to take that first step to do so.

Kaiser nodded. “Fair enough. The situation with the ABB will remain as it is. Second order on the able... the Slaughterhouse 9.”

“Don't see why we need to worry about them either,” Trickster muttered. “They're in fucking China.”

“And if you watched the news, you would see that the plague containment is miserably failing. Japan has declared a national state of emergency and martial law. The Middle East was already in chaos, but it's amplified. Russia has quarantied huge zones. Australia is in a state of panic. It's spreading. It's only a matter of time before it reaches us.” Coil glanced around the table. “We may not have anything to fear or to gain from the situation from the ABB, but this is on an entirely different scale. If it comes here, those that don't die will most likely end up fleeing. It's incurable; some of the greatest minds in the worlds have fallen to it trying to beat it.”

“So, we just give up and run?” Grue demanded.

“That, or you can die, and be a victim,” Coil replied emotionlessly.

“There has to be a way to fight it.”

I jerked with surprise when I realized that it was me who had spoken. Once again, eyes were focused on me. I was glad for my visor, hiding the majority of my blush. “I mean... there's always a way. Just because someone hasn't thought of it yet doesn't mean that someone won't.”

“Childish optimism,” Faultline sneered at me. “Better to outrun it, outpace it, wait it out. Return once it's run its course and pick up the pieces.”

Coil was silent, staring at me. Kaiser frowned. “It may be possible to do that, but what if it doesn't run its course? What if it takes down everyone?”

“The human race is durable. There will always be survivors. Hell, there's even survivors in Hong Kong, and that's ground zero. It's run out there, and people are left behind, cleaning up. Once it runs its course, it'll be gone.”

“We can hope,” Grue said. “Because if we're wrong, we're dead.”

“If you haven't been paying attention, situation is pretty damn grim. We're probably going to die anyway,” Trickster snapped. “It's the fucking _9_ if you haven't forgotten. Bonesaw's creation. Even Dragon can't compete with her abilities.”

_Dragon might not be able to... but I outdid Dragon, once. What if I could?_ I kept the thought to myself, saying nothing, and instead just listened.

In the end, tempers flared, and Kaiser called the meeting to an end before the groups tore into one another. One of his men, Hookwolf, as my visor informed me, started a shouting match with Bitch before we could get out the door about fucking with his business, and she stood her ground, pushing back just as hard. Shortly before it came to an all-out brawl, Grue and Kaiser managed to prevail, calling a ceasefire between their groups, until they could meet again, with more reason, and figure out what had happened clearly. Then we were filing out of the building, and heading away, not directly towards the hideout, but taking a longer route back, just to mislead anyone that might try to follow us, relying on Tattle's power to inform us if someone was before we started heading in that direction.

We all walked in brooding silence, for a long time, before I finally spoke up.

“I'm sure we can figure it out. We're smart.”

Skitter glanced at me. “Sure, we might be smart, but there's been a lot of smart people killed already by it. Don't think that's going to get us far.”

I shook my head. “They weren't us. Can't let the defeatism attitude in there get to us. It's shit. They're all so self-absorbed... we could get killed by Oni-Lee, they wouldn't care...”

“Of course they wouldn't,” Regent laughed. “They're fucking villains. What do you expect? Chivalry and knights in shining armor?”

I drew back. His comment stung, mostly because it was somewhat true. “I... I don't know what I expected. A code of honor? Honor amongst thieves, that type of thing.”

“That shit only exists in the fairy tales, sweetheart. This is real life. It's what can you get out of what you do, what makes it worth it.”

I fell silent for a moment. I was angry, upset. This wasn't what I had envisioned. It was like... gritty. Real. Selfish. I hated Kaiser, the ABB, the Travelers, Faultline's group... all of them. They weren't what I wanted to be. I clenched my fists and stopped walking. Everyone else took a few more steps, then Grue was the first to notice I wasn't walking, and stopped, turning. Tattle was next, then Skitter, Morkulv, and Regent. When they were all looking back at me, I shook my head.

“That may be how they are, that may be what your perception of life calls real, even. That may be how you accept things, but I don't. And I will never, in my life, turn my back on people, and run and hide and try to wait something so serious out. I will never refuse to step in for the good of everyone, just because I might get hurt.”

None of them said anything for a moment, then Morkulv walked over to me, laying a hand on my shoulder. “You're absolutely right. I won't either.”

Skitter was the next, walking over. “Once, I turned away a good offer, coldly. You helped me see what I was doing there, and you've earned my respect. I won't either.”

Tattle was right behind her, smiling under her mask. She bent just enough to look me straight in the face. “You know I'm with you. You're absolutely right. This is our home. Our people. Hero or villain, it's all irrelevant. Politics. This is bigger than both.”

Grue glanced at Regent, who folded his arms. “Personally I think they're right,” Regent said. “Trickster, Kaiser, all those guys. But... if this is what you guys are in for... well. At least it won't be boring.”

They both walked back to me, and Grue laid a solid hand on my shoulder. “Twilight... thanks for reminding me that we're humans, and friends, before our self-imposed titles.” I smiled at that. It was meant only for my ear, so I didn't give any other outward indication I'd heard him, but it meant the world to have them on my side, backing me up on this.

We resumed walking, Tattle letting us know we weren't being followed, and wound up back at the loft. I took off my costume, and slipped into a pair of comfy short shorts, and a tanktop. Lisa hopped in the shower. It seemed everyone in the loft loved the work I had done to the waterheater, as it now not only produced hot water reliably, but fast enough that the wait was a matter of seconds, and enough that everyone of us could chain our showers together, and be fine.

I was sitting on the couch, my legs tucked under me, when Brian sat next to me. Alec was wearing a headset and already lost in a videogame, which was pretty typical, and Taylor had went home, so she could spend some time with her dad. Morkulv was with Bitch, helping her move some of her dogs to a better location, from what I understood in passing, and I had Lisa's laptop on my lap, browsing online shops for new gadgets to play with.

“Sometimes I forget you're just a kid,” Brian said, watching me.

I glanced up at him. “I am not a kid.”

He held his hands up, as if to ward me off. “You know what I mean. You're young. But you're so mature, and smart, sometimes I just think of you as one of us. Our age, I mean.”

I shrugged. “I'd prefer you did, actually. I'm not a kid.”

“You keep saying that, but... physically, you really are.”

I glanced down at myself. Flat chest, with a still-blooming girl's figure. Hell, I didn't even have periods yet. “I know, but... I don't feel like one. Inside. I know all this stuff, and I can make decisions for myself. I'm not... typical.”

“I never even meant to imply that you were.” He smiled. “I'm trying to say, that I'm glad you're here, and that you're a part of the team. We all like you, and value you. Even Alec.” He raised his voice at the end, trying to get his attention, but it failed, and he looked at me with a goofy shrug. I giggled. I liked Brian; he was down-to-earth, honest, and felt like a genuinely good person. It was hard trying to imagine him ever being like the other villains. It was hard to imagine any of them, except perhaps Regent and Bitch, when in costume, being anything like the others. They were all good people. Lisa had a bit of a darkside to her, I was learning, and could almost understand why she was a villain.. but Brian?

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

He nodded. “Sure.”

“Why are you here? Like... why are you an Undersider, a villain? Why aren't you a member of the Wards, a hero instead? You're a really good guy.”

He considered it a moment, watching me browse through some selections of electronics kits and boards. “I suppose it would because I don't really have any faith in the system,” he said after a long moment. “The way I grew up, it was always fend for myself, all the time. Protect myself, and now, trying to help my sister... well. The system is so broken, it feels. Takes forever for anything to happen, and when it does, it doesn't end well. I know the PRT and the Wards sometimes mean well, but I think they overlook the little guys, and who they step on in the name of the 'greater good' or whatever it is they use to justify their actions with. You have some heroes out there that do truly despicable things, sometimes, in order to do something they feel is right, and I don't agree with that. I would rather be on my own. The villain label was given to us more than we went out and took it. I can understand why; we were doing some rather petty crime for a time for the boss, at Tattle's direction, making money slowly. Trying to build up a reputation, but the more we get into this all, the harder it is to justify some of what we're doing as well. It's like once you get the label, you have to act a certain way, certain things are expected of you... I don't know quite how to explain it.”

I considered his reply for a long moment. It all made sense, perfectly reasonable and acceptable. But that didn't mean I liked it. “I think there has to be another option.”

“Technically, there is. You can go rogue, be unaffiliated, but if you're not a part of the Protectorate, they tend to search you out, and either force you to join, or you end up in the Birdcage.”

“Which is fucked up,” I added.

He chuckled. “Yeah, it is. That's why I can't be a part of something like that.”

“I think I understand. I don't really like it, because it means that I'm in the same situation, but I understand why you do what you do now.” I paused, and shut the laptop. “Ugh. Can't focus on anything right now. I need a distraction.”

“From what?”

“Myself,” I said with a little sigh. “Guess I'm just feeling contemplative and thoughtful.”

“Maybe I can help with that,” Lisa said, plopping down on my other side. She was wearing short shorts much like mine, but her legs were far more toned and beautiful than my own were. Her towel was wrapped around her shoulders as she patted her hair dry, and the only other thing she had on was a bra, white, with red trim and a little bit of lace on the cups over her breasts.

“Maybe you can,” I said, and leaned against her.

She glanced at Brian, and put an arm around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head. “Perhaps... Brian could help too?”

I paused, glancing up at her. She cocked her head to the side at me. I thought rapidly about it. I liked Brian. He was a good guy. Would I mind doing what Lisa was implying with him?

Brian touched my back, and I turned to look at him. “If you want to, I'm game,” he said. “But, no pressure.”

“Have you guys... before?” I asked softly.

Lisa giggled. “Once or twice. Nothing serious. Just whenever the mood stuck, and we didn't have anyone else. Life is still life, after all.”

I nodded. I thought about it for another moment, my mind drifting back to Gallant and Aegis, and how it had felt having a dick in my hand, or mouth, or... other places instead of Lisa's body. She was what I was used to already, what I wanted. But... a part of me really liked the idea of the variety, of mixing it up a little bit, and seeing what would happen. I grinned. “Let's do it.”

Brian stood, and lead the way to his room, bypassing ours on the way. His was a little bit larger I found out as we stepped into it, and he had a bigger bed, as well. Lisa was still on just a basic twin mattress, which meant things were a little cramped with both of us in it, but that didn't really bother either one of us. Brian had a full queen size, plenty of room to roll around on. I felt my tummy flutter at what we were about to do as he closed the door behind me, and locked it.

I was facing Lisa, with my back to Brian, who came up behind me, putting his arms over my shoulders, running his hands down my arms to my hands, and twined his fingers through mine, pulling my arms up as Lisa approached my front, giving me that “fuck me” look I was becoming very familiar with from her, and licked her lips slowly as Brian pressed his front against my back, making me arch my back as he pulled my hands up around his neck, so my tanktop rode up my flat belly, exposing my bellybutton and the waistband of my small shorts. Lisa smirked as she ran her hands across my bare midriff, pressing her thumbs over my naval, her fingers splayed out and upwards. She wrapped them around my thin waist as she came closer still, and I shivered slightly as Brian slid his hands back down my arms. I left them where he'd put them, up over my head, around his neck, as the backs of his fingers ran down the sensitive undersides of my arms, down my sides to the sides of where my breasts were... he brought them forward, covering my chest with both hands, and gave the small swellings of flesh there gentle squeezes, massaging my breasts through my top. I bit my lip and stood on tiptoe as Lisa lowered her mouth to mine, kissing me softly and gently, her tongue sliding across my lips. I opened my mouth and met her tongue in the middle with my own, our lips parting, but our tongues not. Brian made a soft sound of approval above as he watched, and squeezed my chest a little harder. I could feel his groin pushing into my back, feel his cock as it began to stiffen in his pants. I rubbed against it as Lisa pulled one hand around, and slid in down the front of my shorts and into my panties with one deft motion, cupping my sex, rubbing one finger along my little slit, not quite pressing into it, but instead treating it gently and softly.

I sucked Lisa's tongue into my mouth and groaned as she pressed her finger up between my lips, finding my little clit and rubbing it slowly and gently, in small, steady circles. I gasped and moaned into her mouth, and Brian slid one hand down my back, gripping my bottom, squeezing the firm round globes of my bottom...

“You have such a nice little ass,” he whispered in my ear, then kissed it, licking the contours before dipping his tongue into the center, making me squirm as I felt a hot spike of arousal shoot through me. Lisa's finger slid down farther, then curled up, sliding into my little tunnel, pushing its way up inside of me. I moaned again, and pushed back and forth between her finger and Brian's hands, sliding her finger in and out of myself while she held it steady for me.

“I can't wait,” Brian groaned, looking down over my shoulder and seeing Lisa's hands in my shorts. “You two get on the bed, I need to put my dick in one of you.”

Lisa giggled, and slid her hand out of my shorts, sucking it clean as she turned, swaying her hips seductively as she walked to the bed, then pulled her shirt off, and dropped her shorts. She was wearing a red and black thong underneath, and I bit my lip, fighting the urge to drop to my knees behind her and bury my face in the thin cloth and lick her delicious sex until she was cumming on my face. She turned and pulled my tanktop off over my head, then crouched down and pulled my shorts down. I was wearing cute pink panties with a little frill around the waist, and Brian reached down, squeezing my bottom again as Lisa reached up and pulled them down slightly, tugging them down slowly, dragging the cloth through his fingers before it dropped down to my ankles. I stepped out of them, and got on the bed, Lisa crawling up next to me, and I took off her little thong, kissing her breasts and tummy as I did so, sucking one of her nipples into my mouth and flicking it with my tongue before caressing her sex with one hand, rubbing it with my palm, making her spread her legs, exposing herself fully to both myself and Brian, and I pushed my middle finger into her tight little tunnel. She gave a happy moan, and stroked my hair as I fingered and suckled, Brian stripped out of his clothes as I did so.

He had an amazing physique, toned and muscled, his dark skin smooth and blemish-free, and his cock... I could tell just by looking at it that he was larger than either of the boys I had taken recently, by at least a few inches, and he was thicker, too. I bit my lip as I looked at him, and Lisa ran her hands down my body, fondling and groping my bottom and pussy. “Think you can take it?” she asked me.

I looked at it, then Brian's face, and smiled, and nodded. “Yeah...”

I rolled onto my back, and spread my legs as he climbed onto the bed. He leaned over me, and squeezed my chest again, pinching my little nipples, then ran his hands down between my legs, pushing them wider open and spreading my lips open with his fingers, working two fingers side-by-side into my pussy, stretching me out slightly. He “mmm”d with satisfaction...

“Fuck, you're tight Kels, this... this is going to be awesome.”

He pushed my legs up higher, so my knees were up by my shoulders. Lisa swung around by my head, and took my legs in her hands, kissing my shins and calves, slowly working her way forward until she was nearly straddling my face. I looked up at her, wishing she would do so, so that I could taste her, lick her, make her cum...

Brian was rubbing his cock against my little slit, spreading my leaking wetness around my entrance, across my lips, and across his head. Then, he began to push that monster inside of me. I moaned immediately as my body stretched to accommodate him, and he grit his teeth as he pressed harder, his hip popping inside, stretching me more, making me feel oddly, deliciously full of dick.. he groaned as more of his thick shaft sank into my tight little hole, and Lisa bit her lip above me, watching intently as he slowly slid more and more of that beast into me...

I gasped as I felt his head nudge up against my cervix, and he pushed a little harder, stretching me further, until I couldn't go anymore, and he gripped my hips tightly in his hands, looking down. Only about two or three inches of his cock wasn't buried within me, and I felt fuller and more stretched out than ever before in my life. He pulled out, till just the tip was left within me, then pushed back in, faster this time, pressing against my cervix again to get as much of himself into me as possible.

Lisa moaned, and climbed over my face, and I hummed happily as she lowered her wet pussy to my mouth, and I stuck my tongue up into her, wiggling it between her folds, tickling her clit, driving my tongue into her hole, alternating between the two rapidly, making her rock her hips gently as I focused fully on her for a moment, feeling Brian slowly move in and out of my body...

“Holy fuck she's tight,” he groaned, and let go of my hips with one hand to stroke Lisa's breast, playing with her erect nipples with his fingers while he stroked in and out. “So hot, wet, and tight...” he groaned again, and began to move faster.

As he did so, I rapidly forgot how to think, act, or even function on anything higher than a purely primal level, gasping and moaning into Lisa's pussy, licking her erratically, sucking on her clit hard as he drove me quickly to an orgasm, his cock rocking in and out faster and faster, steadily gaining speed as my juices flowed over him, down my bottom, soaking the sheet beneath me and thoroughly coating the both of us, letting him go even faster as I came the first time, stars shattering in my vision as I cried out into Lisa's sex. She ground agaisnt me harder, moaning herself as he continued to tweak and pull her nipples, fucking me harder and faster still...

I came again, shortly after the first, and then literally screamed as a third ripped through me immediately after the second faded. He pulled out of me as I went limp, unable to even breathe properly, my chest heaving as I panted for breath, and grasped Lisa, twisting her around, bending her over my prone form, so we were face to face, and shoved his cock into her waiting sex. She moaned and kissed me, licking my face clean of her wetness as he fucked her as hard as he had me, driving her into me. I smiled and wrapped my arms around her, our chests pressed together as he rammed her down, until she was laying prone, unable to even stay on her knees with the force of his thrusts, her legs spread and his hands gripping her ass as he plowed her pussy harder, making her cum at least twice before he pulled out and shot his cum across her back. I felt some hit my hands, and just continued kissing Lisa, not caring about anything else in the world but her.

She kissed me back just as fiercely and lovingly. I clung to her tightly, and as she buried her face in my neck, kissing and sucking, I gasped in her ear, “I love you...”

She pulled back, and looked down at me with surprise on her face. “You do?”

I blushed, and nodded, suddenly afraid I had said something wrong. “Um.. yeah. I guess I do.”

She studied me for a moment, then smiled, and kissed me again, tenderly. “Love you too. You're all mine.”

“All yours,” I agreed softly, as Brian collapsed next to us, and we all curled up, quickly falling asleep in an impromptu nap.

* * * * * * *

“They did what? Seriously? Are you alright? Do you need us? Okay. Okay. If... okay. Call us when you're almost here. Yeah. Okay.” A click as Lisa hung up her cellphone, and then laid back against my back, wrapping one arm around my middle and pulling me tighter to her. I smiled to myself and snuggled in with her.

“Who was that?” Brian asked, his voice thick with sleep.

That was about the time I remembered where we were, what had just happened, and that I was still completely naked, my thighs sticky with dried bits of girlcum.

“Taylor,” Lisa whispered.

“I'm awake, no need to whisper on my account,” I said.

She squeezed me again, and her lips ghosted along my neck, making me shiver. “Love you,” she whispered. I smiled widely, and twisted to face her.

“Love you more.”

“Gag... get a room.”

“We have one, get out of it.”

“It's my room!”

“Not our fault, you invited us.”

“If I remember correctly, this was one-hundred percent your idea.”

“Well, yeah. All the good ideas are mine.”

“God,” he said, laughing. “I give up. What did Taylor want?”

“She told her dad about her bully problem. They went to the school.”

“Oh.” His voice tightened. “She okay?”

“Depends on your definition of okay, I'd say. She's pissed. School didn't do anything.”

He sighed heavily, and I was reminded of our conversation earlier, about his lack of faith in the system. “Didn't think they would, honestly. What's the gameplan.”

“She said she wants to hit something. Figure it's a good a time as any to move on the ABB, hit them instead of waiting around for them to hit us.”

“Sounds good. Suit up?”

“Yeah. We have a bit, she's a ways out.”

“Gotcha.”

“I'm gonna take a shower,” I declared quickly, scrambling out of bed and throwing on some clothes.

Lisa sighed. “Not without me, you're not.”

“Behave, you two. Time constraints.”

Lisa rolled her eyes at him as she got dressed, and we slipped out of his room, stopping by ours to pick up clothes, then went to the bathroom together. I saw Warren watching us curiously, sitting on the couch, kicking back, and shot him a smile. He shot me back a wink as the door closed.

We did end up behaving ourselves, hopping in, helping wash each other clean quickly, then hopping out, drying off, and getting dressed. I pulled on a simple pair of plain black boyshirts and a sportsbra, then wrapped my towel around myself as I went back to the room, and got dressed right into costume while Lisa informed Alec and Warren. Then she slipped into the room, got into her costume as well, and we were the first out in the main room, waiting. By the time Taylor showed up, everyone else was ready to go, and Lisa had been on and off the phone a dozen times with the boss, clearing the plan of action with him. Once he gave the green light, we were all anxious to move. Bitch went ahead down the stairs to start growing her dogs, and by the time Skitter was ready, the dogs were good to go, and we were on the way.

Tattletale knew their general location, so we just headed that way, nearly positive that they would hop out to fight as soon as we were within range. Sure enough, we had no sooner entered their territory than minions were rushing us, attacking with little concern about their own safety and well-being. Morkulv and Grue waded into the brunt of their attack, supported by two dogs, Regent standing back and watching the conflict, causing opportune losses of balance and weapon drops as he saw fit.

In the short time it had taken to get here, Skitter had amassed an impressive swarm, and was dropping long-range individuals as quickly as they showed themselves, swarming them with wasps and other stinging and biting insects that drove them into cover. She didn't keep up the assault longer than necessary, and a few that tried to sneak back found themselves suffering her attention a second time.

Me and Tattle sat back, watching and waiting for On-Lee himself to show up...

And when he did, it nearly took us all by surprise. “Morkulv, to your left!” Tattle cried. We all twisted to look as he popped into existence, swinging a heavy blade at Morkulv's flank. Black armor twisted around him as fast as thought could summon it, and the blade glanced off harmlessly. He backhanded the figure with his mace, and it exploded into a cloud of white ash.

“Teleporting about. Keep your eyes open and don't let him grab you!” Grue yelled.

I twisted around, looking about, and saw him appear on a rooftop, his wrist twisting as he went to throw a knife at Lisa... and found himself suddenly right in front of Morkulv again, who smashed his head with his black mace. Again, the cloud of white ash. He had moved again. I returned the spatial distance to normal, scanning again.

[Anomaly located. Track?] KC spoke into my ear.

“Yes, yes!” I confirmed quickly.

[Behind, to the right. Ahead, to the left. To the right.]

I twisted all around, but he was jumping quickly, his shadows exploding into dust in various areas, never letting me get a fix on his location. He was too fast, too dedicated.

“I got bugs on him, I can feel where he's going. He's not reacting to anything I hit him with.”

I jerked in surprise as a knife glanced off of my chest plate, scratching the paint then spinning away. I glanced up as another figure exploded into white ash, then...

Blackness. Grue covered the entire area, blanketing all of us with the thick, impenetrable cloud. I moved towards Tattletale, and we ended up running into one another. I grabbed her hand.

“He's stopped. The darkness has him confused. Going to hit him with the full swarm,” Skitter said through the earpieces.

“Do it,” Grue confirmed.

“One second,” I said. And I shrank the area, the entire zone, so we were all standing in a tight cluster, including Oni Lee. “Where is he Skitter?”

“I could reach out and touch him,” she said. “I'm right behind Morkulv, he's immediately to my right.”

“Morkulv, find Skitter, attack right before the swarm. Anywhere he jumps won't be far enough. Try to disable him.”

“Mmm,” was his only reply, and then he roared, and I could picture him lunging...

Even through the darkness I heard the impact of his mace, felt the concussive force of it. Grue banished the darkness around us, and Oni-Lee was laying sprawled on his face, unconscious for sure, his arm twisted at a bad angle, his forearm shattered, his ribs probably cracked or broken as well.

“Damn,” Tattle whistled. “You pack one hell of a punch.”

“Only had one hit, had to make it count.”

“Not blaming you, admiring, rather.” Tattletale flashed him a smile. “When he comes to, he'll be able to jump away, no containing him. We have two options... kill him, or hurt him so he can't come after us again.”

No one said anything for a long moment. “He's pretty hurt already,” Skitter said thoughtfully. “I hit him with several stings and bites while he was jumping about still. Then there's his arm, and ribs...”

“We can't just maim or disfigure a downed opponent,” Grue said, making a final, cutting motion with his hand. “We're not those kinds of people. He's done. We beat him.”

“And he could come back, with a personal vendetta. There's no way the Wards would show up in time and be able to take him into custody.”

“He's going to have to get medical attention. We inform the Wards, and have them watch for it.”

Tattletale sighed, then nodded. “Okay. Let's hope that's enough, then.”

“You fuckers done yet?”

We all spun, and standing in the middle of the street was Lung himself, arms crossed across his chest. “You fucked up now,” he said, and started forward.

Reactions varied. Bitch growled, and sent her dogs sprinting forward. Morkulv followed, Grue close behind. Regent flung his hand out, and Lung laughed as his leg twinged, but didn't even lose his balance as he broke into a run, heading straight for Brutus. They hit, and Lung went flying backwards, flipping head over heels, and somehow managed to land on his feet, growing in size and ferocity from the impact, and when Brutus ran forward, taking his arm in his mouth and flung him into a brick wall, demolishing it, throwing him clear through it, Lung's laugh echoed outwards. I waited until he bolted outwards, and then warped the distance between him and us, so he had to cross and longer, and longer area. I continued to warp, shrinking it back to normal behind and stretching out where he was endlessly, creating a tread-mill of sorts, so to everyone else it looked like he was sprinting in place, unable to move. Each time he altered direction, my visor fed the subtle clues of the shifting of his body mass to me, and I adjusted for it, slowly expanding the influence into a sphere around him, slowing him down until he was moving at max speed, full effort.... at a pace of about half a millimeter every full minute that passed. I grinned, and Tattletale busted up laughing as he growled and raged, hurling himself forwards, unable to get outside of the sphere of my influence.

“Now what?” Regent asked.

Skitter sent in her swarm. They got to him much quicker than he was able to get away from them, and crawled over his face, into his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. He roared in frustration and fire exploded out of him, nearly breaking the sphere of my influence and incinerating the bugs that Skitter had send in. My eyes widened and I increased it's range as he tried again, pushing flames outwards. I was able to just contain it, keeping it from hitting anyone. Then, I decided to get tricky.

Spatial distortion was easy. Shrinking and expanding areas, as I was now, I could do in my sleep. But the next bit required more thought, more effort, and more exertion. But I began to do it anyway, rolling the ground around him, shrinking the spot he was standing on. He stopped running and glanced about in confusion as the ground seemed to rise around him. I pushed the ground he was standing on down, stretching the world up around him. He roared and smashed his fist into the pavement in front of his face, shattering it, and began to tear at the earth itself, determined to get to us, one way or another.

“I can't keep this up forever,” I said through grit teeth. The strain of just trying to keep him back was beginning to get to me, and I could feel it pulling at me, dragging me down...

“And he's not getting any weaker. This isn't working,” Skitter observed.

“Any... ideas?” I managed.

“The more we hit him, the stronger he gets,” Grue said. “Every time we've encountered him in the past, it's been delay and run.”

“Then... start... running,” I growled. “I can't hold him much longer. “You guys disappear. I'll get to safety once you're gone.”

“Twilight, no. We're not letting you stay behind alone with him.”

“What else can we do? We're fucking useless against him.”

Morkulv stepped up. “I'm not.”

My power snapped right at that moment, and I staggered backwards, collapsing, my face covered in a sheen of sweat. Tattletale caught me as Lung lunged forward, the area around him returning to normal in a second, and Morkulv leapt to meet him, swinging his black mace with both hands, smashing it into his chest and hurling him backwards. Lung hit the ground rolling, but was on his feet and rushing forward in a second. They smashed together, Morkulv heaving Lung over his head, and I pulled two small cylinders out of my belt. Little bombs I had made from old cell phones Grue had given me, designed the same way as the one that had taken down Glory Girl. I hit the switch one one, and lobbed it forward, weakly able to manipulate the area to get him on top of it, and keeping Morkulv at a safe distance as it went off.

The force of the detonation launched Lung into the air, mangling one of his legs. They weren't meant to be concussive or disabling; they were meant to tear down walls, be destructive. And taking the full impact of one directly under his legs meant Lung took a hard hit, hurtling into the air. As he landed, his clothes burning, he got to his feet, his leg already healing, but slowly. Skitter attacked, wasps and other insects swarming into his injuries, trying to inject as much poison into his system as possible to slow his regeneration powers.

Morkulv slammed into him with his shoulder, beefed up with several layers of his black armor, and Lung went down, his injured leg twisting and popping as Morkulv hit it with his mace with a follow up blow. Lung grabbed Morkulv's arm, bringing him down, wrapping his arm tight around his torso. They grappled, ripping and tearing at one another fiercely. Skitter attacked again, channeling a tornado of burning, biting insects down onto Lung's back, focusing on any open wounds, pouring spiders into his ripped open leg, biting and literally eating away at him, holding little to nothing back.

I covered my mouth with my hand, watching as Morkulv wrapped himself completely in his black armor, and not a moment too soon as Lung howled and ignited himself again, flame surging out of him. Grue blanketed us with darkness for a few moments to counter-act the flames, then he banished it, moving forward, trying to find a way to help.

Morkulv leapt free, miraculously unhurt, parts and pieces of his armor falling away and vanishing in black wisps of smoke, replaced by new, and in his hand appeared a heavy scythe-like blade. Lung got to his feet. His leg still looked rather torn up; the poisons Skitter had shot it full of must have had some effect, but the rest of Lung was now undeniably massive, nearly twice the size of Morkulv, his mass rippling with just sheer intimdating power. Morkulv rushed forward in another attack nevertheless, swinging his scythe high. Lung raised an arm to block it, but at the last second Morkulv dropped and twisted, driving the black blade point deep into his ravaged leg.

Lung howled in rage and pain, and grabbed him by the shoulder, hurling him away. He lost his grip on the weapon, and it dissipated away immediately. But the damage had been done, the bone severed, and Lung went down in a heap.

“Now we fucking run!” Morkulv barked, and everyone leapt into action, jumping onto the dogs as Bitch whistled, and we turned, high-tailing it out of the area as quickly as possible....

Which unfortunately didn't get us very far, before an injured Oni Lee appeared before us, not once, not twice, but three times, his good arm whipping as the threw knives at Skitter, myself, and Tattle...

And the all glanced off a bright blur as she shot between us and him, before twisting around, grabbing the real Oni Lee on a rooftop, and slammed him to the ground, putting him right back out of the fight.

I blinked as my visor updated the newcomer's information.

[Glory Girl, hero from New Wave.] KC said in my ear.

_Oh fuck,_ I thought to myself.  _Could shit get any worse?_

 


	8. Chapter 8

Morkulv backhanded a man rushing at him with a machete with his mace, flinging him backwards, rolling him into the path of two others rushing forward. Grue was fighting next to him, using a combination of martial arts prowess and his darkness, casting small clouds, blinding opponents as he moved around them, bringing them down with fierce, deliberate strikes. He ducked under a club swung at his face, and slugged the man wielding it, following it up with a kick to the side of the knee, then a backhand across the face to drop him. Morkulv lifted another by the front of his shirt and bodily heaved him backwards, into his own friends, kicking a second's legs out from under him and bringing his mace down on his chest.

Within a few moments, the street was relatively clear; the minions that the ABB had under their control were far from intimidating or even hard to fight. Skitter had dropped probably a dozen or more that had hung back with guns, trying to take potshots. Most of those that had gotten off shots had their aim disrupted by Regent, so they had been relatively harmless, just an annoyance. Morkulv straightened to his full height, looking around for the next challenge.

“Morkulv, to your left!” Tattle cried.

Without taking time to evaluate or think about it, he wrapped himself in black armor even as he twisted to face the threat. Oni Lee was standing there, his hand holding a blade that was angled for his midchest. It glanced off the armor, not doing a thing, and he swung his mace in retailation, shattering the copy Oni Lee had left behind. White ash filled the area.

“Teleporting about. Keep your eyes open and don't let him grab you!” Grue yelled.

Morkulv looked around, and Oni Lee was in front of him for a moment, and he smashed its head with his mace, choking back a cough as white ash exploded into his face.

“I got bugs on him, I can feel where he's going. He's not reacting to anything I hit him with.” Skitter sounded cool, calm. He liked that about her. Always so calm in the face of danger...

Grue blanketed the area in darkness, trying to slow Oni Lee down so they could get a fix on his location, do something besides fight his copies and react. They all stood still in the darkness, Morkulv straining to hear through it though he knew that it was a pointless task. Sound just didn't travel well in Grue's power.

“He's stopped. The darkness has him confused. Going to hit him with the full swarm.”

“Do it,” Grue commanded.

Man, Twilight had really come through with these earpieces. And the new one she had built Morkulv himself fit so much better, he could hardly even tell that it was in place.

“One second,” Twilight said, and he had a weird sensation of the ground slipping under his feet, making his balance shift slightly. “Where is he Skitter?”

“I could reach out and touch him,” she said. “I'm right behind Morkulv, he's immediately to my right.”

Morkulv was moving before Twilight spoke again. “Morkulv, find Skitter, attack right before the swarm. Anywhere he jumps won't be far enough. Try to disable him.” He simply gave a “Mm” in response, as he held his hand up in front of him, and found Skitter's. She took his hand, turned his arm, and gently nudged him in the right direction, so that he knew he was pointed right at Oni Lee.

“Morkulv... he's about three feet directly in front of you. Make it count,” Skitter whispered in his ear.

He nodded, knowing that with her bugs' sense, she would catch the gesture, and held out his hand, enhancing the size of his mace, then grasped the haft with both hands and spun, putting his full force behind the swing. He felt the impact run up his arm, the shuddering sound of the crack echoing even through the darkness, the force of the blow sending Oni Lee to the ground. Grue dissipated the darkness, and he was laying sprawled face down nearby, his arm crushed, his side nearly caved in. Morkulv shook slightly and looked at the mace. Was he really that strong?

The rest were heading over, clearly about to discuss what to do. He stared at the mace in his hands instead for a long moment. Was there more to his powers, to his abilities? He tried to focus for a moment, pushing all of his concentration into his “previous” life, to remember details, parts and pieces. He focused on the character sheets. He could recall Kelsey's with almost perfect clarity, and knew she was still working her own way into her powers and abilities. But his own... was growing fuzzy, indistinct. He could remember the Case 53, the ability to manipulate darkness, and even the sexual power... but the rest... he couldn't recall, even as he focused harder, it blurred more in his mind, indistinct, unreliable. He growled a bit at that.

He realized Tattle had said something to him, and grunted slightly. “Only had one hit, had to make it count.”

She replied with a grin, but he wasn't focusing on her, or the conversation that followed. Until...

“You fuckers done yet?”

They all spun and he saw Lung standing there, arms crossed, and a spark of fury rose within him immediately. He missed what Lung said next as he started forward, already focusing on the fight, pushing himself forward, putting himself between Lung and the others. The dogs were with him, to each side. He growled, pushing his legs faster...

Brutus and him collided first, Lung being tossed backwards, laughing. Then the dog spun him through a wall, and before Morkulv could begin to close the distance again, Twilight was at work, holding him back, making him unable to close the distance between them. He stopped, holding steady in the midrange between the girls and Lung, ready to fight tooth and nail.

For a few tense moments, Lung was pinned, roaring in frustration. Skitter attacked, but it was useless. He burned away her swarm with a wash of flame, and again raged and sprinted at them, moving in place, unable to move with any type of effectiveness. Twilight switched it up, trying to pin him under the ground, but Lung began tearing visciously at the ground itself. The others were arguing, trying to figure out how to win while Twilight bought time.

“What else can we do? We're fucking useless against him.”

Morkulv turned. “I'm not.”

He felt Twilight's power snapping as it happened, the subtle shift underfoot as his balance shifted and spatially normality returned in a rush.

Morkulv rushed forwards, meeting Lung head on, swinging his mace with all the power he could muster. It smashed into his chest, hurling him backwards, flipping him end over end, but he landed on his feet and rushed back into him quickly. Morkulv heaved him over his head, grappling with the man even as he swelled and grew with the exertion of the fight, his injuries healing nearly as quickly as they happened. They smashed into one another again, the rest of the Undersiders backing up, Regent trying—and failing—to throw Lung off balance repeatedly, to give Morkulv some type of edge.

He saw the silver flash from Twilight's hand a second before he found himself a small distance away. The explosion that went off under Lung was brutal, but well contained. He had to admire her accuracy, even stretched and strained as it had been, containing him for so long earlier. The blast ripped open Lung's leg, and he saw his opportunity, trying to do as much damage as he possibly could as fast as earthly possible. He saw Skitter's swarm descending for the assault and went in, hoping she could get some damage done. He smashed into Lung with his shoulder, layering the armor thickly across that section to get the broadest impact section possible. He hurled Lung away again, but growled as Lung twisted in midair, his leg already mending partially, grabbing him around his waist and slamming him into the ground. He buried his teeth in Lung's shoulder, felt and tasted his blood spurting as he squeezed his jaws and tore a jagged chuck loose, spitting it free as they pummeled each other in close quarters. His armor took the brunt of the assault before cracking and peeling away, some of Lung's blows landing home, but he shook them off, giving back as good—and more—than he got.

He managed to get a foot against Lung's bad leg, and ripped it downwards, tearing a section of meat loose, blood spraying over his leg as he heaved Lung off of him, and got to his feet. Skitter was renewing her assault, spiders and insects pouring into his leg, focusing the whole of her attack in the center of the damage that had been done. Lung glanced down, and roared. Morkulv wrapped black armor plates all around him in a second as flame surged out of Lung with an explosive blast, incinerating Skitter's bugs and wrapping Morkulv in the fiery embrace. He moved through it, feeling his armor cracking, breaking away, ignoring it as he focused instead of bringing a new weapon to bear, the darkness warping into a heavy, long scythe. He swung it, putting all the power he could possibly bring to bear behind it, and the blade sank deep into Lung's leg. He caught his shoulder, and tossed him like a doll. Morkulv rolled, not even feeling the impact with the street, coming to his feet, and saw Lung collapse, his thighbone severed, unable to support his weight.

“Now we fucking run!” he barked at the others. He knew he had to focus on getting them out of there and to safety. He would be able to find a way to stop Lung one-on-one, he was sure now. But with the rest there? He wasn't so sure. They hightailed it, leaping atop dogs and taking off down the street. Morkulv brought up the rear, keeping one eye on Lung as he drug himself to his feet. He was huge now, his leg still all types of fucked up, but already healing as he twisted it into place with a roar of pain and hatred.

Then he saw Oni Lee appear before them, and his blood turned cold as the throwing knives left his hands...

Glory Girl flashed through, the knives bouncing off of her invincible shield, and she slammed the real Oni Lee to the rooftop, putting one foot on him and pressing down on his good arm until he screamed as she crushed his wristbones. Then she was gently floating to the street before them, the rest of the Undersiders tensing, unsure of why she was there. Morkulv hurried forward, placing himself in their way so they wouldn't inadverently attack her. He was pretty sure she was there to help... he hoped so, at least.

“Glory Girl,” she growled.

“Morkulv,” she said with a slight nod. “Had a chance to discuss our proposal?”

“Not yet. Was going to after this, actually.” He smiled a wolfish grin. “Been waiting for the right moment.”

“Well. That aside, looks like you could use a hand.”

He turned, and saw three new figures coming down the street towards them. Kaiser, Hookwolf, and Cricket. They paused about twenty yards away, spreading out slightly.

“Undersiders. You have become a thorn in our side,” Kaiser said.

“You fucked with the wrong business, Bitch,” Hookwolf snarled, staring straight at Bitch herself, who stared back with a fierce snarl.

“It's unfortunate, really, that Oni Lee was dispatched. Perhaps he should have waited, as we told him,” Kaiser said, glancing at the rooftop. Lung limped up behind him, still big, fuming, his chest heaving as he breathed deeply.

Morkulv braced for the fight.

“You should know,” Glory Girl said, stepping around one of Bitch's dogs and standing next to Morkulv as he realized he was once again putting himself between the threat and the girls, “They're not alone in this.”

“Not even a little bit,” Lady Photon said, stepping off the roof of the building with Oni Lee, and floating down to the street. From the alleyways walked five others, the rest of New Wave, with the exception of Panacea.

Tattletale looked around her. “Man, my power apparently needs a tuneup. You guys... are here to help us?”

Laserdream, standing with Shielder, nodded at Tattle. “Yep. Guess we'll fill you in on the specifics later.”

“I think I'm starting to piece them together,” Tattle said, eyeing Morkulv curiously. He winked at her, then turned his attention back to the ABB and E88 capes standing before them.

“Well?” he growled. “Let's fucking do this.”

He ran forward, summoning blades to both hands, black armor plates slapping around him. Hookwolf leapt at Bitch, and was thrown to the ground as Brutus set on him, slamming him down and throwing him through the air. He twisted and metal hooks and blades spun around his mangled arm and side, landing on all fours and sprinting back at her. Brutus and him collided head on, Cricket twisting as Glory Girl shot at her like a bullet, catching her shoulder and tossing her backwards. And Morkulv himself barreled into Lung again, slamming both blades into his chest and twisting them. The man roared and grabbed his forearms, trying to twist and hurl him off, but Morkulv let go of the weapons, reversing the grip and flipping over Lung's head, planting his feet on his back even as new blades sprang into his hands, and he drove them straight down through his collarbones, blood shooting out of the injuries as he drove Lung into the street, kicking off his back and landing a short distance away, resummoning his blades again even as Lung got to his feet, turning, and Morkulv dashed forwards, slamming into his bad leg and upending him, hacking downwards with one blade, slamming it into the inside of his knee, severing tendons and ligaments, putting the big guy down again.

Bugs whirled around him, before swarming Lung, crawling into his nose and eyes, pouring down his throat. He grinned, watching the man thrash, and turned to see Glory Girl going toe-to-toe with Kaiser now, the man summong blades up out of the ground, trying to impale her, but they glanced off of shields that Shielder through up around her, driven off course. She grabbed one in her way and ripped it asunder, and Kaiser summoned another. She put her fist through it, trying to get to him, as Laserdream pelted Cricket, hounding her, keeping her back and at bay, far enough away that she couldn't use her sonic abilities on anyone else, but her reflexes for the most part kept her safe as well.

Lung was back on his feet, even larger now, his visage literally terrifying to behold. He rose to his full height and roared, flame exploding out of him in a massive concussive blast. Shielder tossed barriers around Glory Girl and Grue covered the rest of the group in protective darkness, Kaiser encasing himself in a protective pyramid of steel blades, Hookwolf and Brutus and the other dogs circling him taking the brunt of the impact and tumbling away. Morkulv crossed his arms before him as he layered the armor on thick and heavy, feeling it crack, blister, and melt away as fast as he could replace it. Lung roared again, and he realized the blast was now an attack concentrated solely on him, and he was loosing. His armor began to fall off faster than it was generating, then the flames slammed into him directly, tossing him backwards.

The concussive force down, Grue let the darkness dissipate, and the rest of New Wave unloaded on Lung, lasers, blasts of light, concentrated detonations slamming into his back, forcing him down. Morkulv got to his feet, and glanced down at himself. His chest was blackened, burned badly. He growled, and tried to move his arm. Pain shot through him so badly he nearly blacked out and went to a knee, focusing inwards, trying to analyze his hurts.

Arm; broken. Chest covered in 3rd degree burns. Face burned. Leg, strained. And then, he felt something new... an ability, almost. He could identify each injury. He focused on his arm first, felt how it was injured, knew how it was supposed to be... and just like that, his arm was mending, fixing itself, snapping back to proper. Next, the burns faded away, and as he rose, he roared.

He could remember now. He _was_ Panacea. He _was_ Alexandria. He was invincible, could heal himself. He was strong, powerful...

And Lung was nothing. He roared as he launched himself forward, the pavement cracking underfoot as he pushed himself forward with tremendous speed and power. Lung was getting back up, again, even under the ceaseless onslaught from the New Wave members. Then Morkulv slammed into him, tearing into him, his hands covered in black blades, ripping his chest open like it was nothing. He smashed his forehead into Lung's nose, flattening it, blood spraying through the air as he ripped and tore. Lung's ribs popped and snapped, coming apart in his hands.

Kaiser howled as Glory Girl got her hands on him finally and hurled him into a wall. He tried to recover, throwing spears of metal in her direction, but she twisted as she caught one and launched it straight back at him. It went through his leg, pinning him to the wall. Cricket saw the battle turning, and ran for it, sprinting and dodging blasts the whole way, until she vanished around a corner. No one wasted time pursuing her, letting her disappear. Hookwolf was still busy with the three dogs, all three of which were bloodied and tore up on the outside, but his body was nearly entirely shifting and sliding metal now. Skitter was directing a new storm into the injuries Morkulv was ripping open faster than they could heal on Lung, and Flashbang was directing orb after orb into Lung's back, where they were detonating with explosive force, opening new wounds all across his back and down his legs.

Twilight was standing with Tattle, and finally joined the fight as Kaiser ripped his way free of where Glory Girl had pinned him, trying to launch new spears at her. She warped their trajectories so they were flying back at him instead, and he found himself scrambling from his own attacks, ducking and weaving as she manipulated each and every one with careful, precise accuracy.

As she did that, she rolled a silver container under Hookwolf, and ported the dogs away, containing the blast around Hookwolf just like she had Lung. As soon as the explosion was passed, she let the force of the detonation have its way, sending him tumbling into a wall, which collapsed on his head. He tore his way free, glanced over the others, and then was running. Flashbang hammered him with a couple orbs, and let him go.

Morkulv shredded Lung's heart, ripping his lungs open, and leapt free of his chest, watching the man collapse in a heap. He wasn't dead. He wasn't even sure if Lung could die, but he was disabled, at least for a bit, until he could regenerate the proper organs. With Skitter's bugs' poisons running through his system, it would take even longer. Shielder ran up, and slammed two tranquilizers into Lung's back, injecting the full dosage. He was down, and out. Morkulv turned to the last combatant, Kaiser himself. He was forming walls, a fighting retreat as he ran down the street, Laserdream and Lady Photon hounding him for a ways, then they both flew back, and settled to the street.

In the sudden silence, it was nearly deafening. A few moments before, the street had been an all-out war. Now, the only sound was that of the victors breathing heavily.

Tattletale was the first to speak, walking around the pool of blood and gore that lay around Lung. Morkulv glanced down at himself. He was covered, literally, in the stuff. He wanted a shower very badly about then. “So what I'm gathering,” she said lightly, almost as if none of the battle had just happened, “is that you guys are offering us a place in your ranks.”

“That's mostly right,” Glory Girl said, wiping a bit of grime off of her shoulder. “We met with Morkulv here a while ago, and let him know what we were proposing.”

He turned towards the rest of the Undersiders, which had gathered around now. “Perhaps, we should move this discussion to a safer place. Until a decision is reached, the Protectorate is going to want to do something, if they catch us out in the open like this.”

“Good point. And, I think we're all a little on edge, after this,” Tattle swept a hand over the street, the rubble piles, pools of blood, and unconscious Lung. “How about we slip away, let you guys get Lung into proper custody, and we'll meet with a couple of you on neutral ground in the morning. Sound agreeable?”

Lady Photon stepped up, and nodded. “Absolutely. Just let me say this first: the offer came from Glory Girl and Panacea, may have originally been Panacea's brain child, but it's open. We've seen the brilliance of what she's suggesting, and we're open to it. We hope all of you will be, too.”

Grue nodded. “Thank you, for the assist tonight. I'm not sure how we would have fared on our own tonight. We'll get the proposal details from Morkulv tonight, talk it over. You have my word.”

He held out his hand, and Flashbang was the first to take it, then Lady Photon, and Glory Girl.

Then the Undersiders slipped away, heading back out of the ABB territory quickly, and getting back to the warehouse in record time. They headed up the stairs, and collapsed on couches, pulling off masks and helmets.

Regent flicked on the TV for some background noise. They all sat quietly for a long time, then Twilight broke the silence first, twisting to face Morkulv. “So. What's the offer details?”

“Basically, we join them. Stop being villains, and start being heroes... that aren't directly associated with the PRT. We all know New Wave is basically their own thing, and the PRT respects that, for the most part, because they work for the greater good, and actually accomplish some things. I'm not sure how they found out about tonight, and what was going on, with who or where, but they did, and I think it makes a good case for what they're offering.”

“Why do they want us?” Brian asked.

“Because, in everything you guys have done before we got here, you've showed a lot of potential. You guys have what it takes to really step up and make a real difference, but you're in the wrong game. We have power, and combine what we have with what New Wave has, and look what happened tonight. Sure, not all of E88 was there, but the ABB is done. Over. Lung and Oni Lee are in custody, Bakuda's dead... who else do they have? No one. And with the E88 leader himself getting tailwhipped tonight, I don't even see them moving in on what's left. We liberated the docks. We keep it that way, with the New Wave's help, and we can bring this city back.”

Taylor straightened a bit at that. “They actually care? They want to do good things for people, not themselves?”

Kelsey glanced at her. “I think that's what everyone here wants, isn't it? To make things better?”

“Not for people,” Rachel said. “I don't give two fucks about people. I just want to protect the dogs I can.”

“Imagine having resources to be able to do that. A staff of people that are concerned and willing to help. You would be able to set up a place to care for a lot more dogs than you do now, money to buy them medical care if they need it, shots, good food, get people to wash them, care for them.” Warren looked around the loft. “Look, there's nothing wrong with what we have here. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing. But I get the feeling from a lot of us that we want to do more, we want to matter. We want to help. We're on the wrong path, I think. We keep going this way, and we're going to end up like the others at the meeting earlier.”

He paused for a moment and let that sink in, reminding them of what Kelsey had said, and how upset they had been when the rest of the villains had turned their back on them, and the city at large, even against the threat of Bonesaw's plague that was sweeping across the world. “New Wave won't turn and run when the plague gets here. They'll fight it, every step of the way, you know they will.”

“If... you're not lying, if they'll give me the ability to help my dogs... I'm in.” Rachel stood.

Alec sighed, and stood. “Fuck it, I'm in. Let's do the 'right thing' and make a difference, yada yada yada...”

Lisa rolled her eyes at him, but Taylor was the next on her feet. “I'm in too. I don't... I mean, I know I'm pretty new to the group, but I think this is a good shot. We don't even know who are boss is right now. What he could ask us to do next.”

“It's a nice gig we're giving up,” Lisa said slowly. “He gives us money and funding, and let's us pick and choose what we do.”

“But we don't know who he is, Taylor's right,” Brian said. “What if that changes? Something about it is just too good to be true. I can't sit here and believe that he'll come through on everything he's promised. Even... even if it means that maybe I have to find another way to help my sister, New Wave has a lot of resources. They might be able to do something. On the clean side of things, the right way.” His eyes flickered towards Alec, and then he stood. “I'm in. For the right thing.”

Kelsey was studying Lisa intently, and then slowly stood. “I'm in. I have powers to help people, not turn my back on them. My friends come first, but... no one in this room is even remotely like Lung, or Kaiser. It's time to stop saying we're like them, because we're not. We're not villains. We're capes. We don't have to be heroes, but we can be better than petty crime, and make a difference.”

Lisa sighed heavily, then rose to her feet. “Alright. I'm in. I'll call the boss, let him know our arrangement has come to an end. But I'll do it tomorrow, so we'll have time to gather our things out of here, move it somewhere else. We don't want to be here, just in case, ya know?”

“You'd be able to warn us he was coming,” Brian said.

She nodded. “Right, but... there's a lot of stuff here. Some of it could be used to trace us. I'd rather have this place empty when he does, if he does.”

“So it's settled then? Tomorrow, we join New Wave.” Brian put his hand out, palm down. Kelsey giggled and put hers on top of his. Then Lisa, then Taylor, then Rachel, sighing and rolling her eyes. Alec moaned a “can't believe I'm doing this..” as he put his hand in, then Warren placed his over all of them. Brian did a little “Hurrah!” move, and the girls giggled, except Bitch, who glared, and it seemed like someone had pulled a stress blanket off the gathering. The relief, the joy of the fight and having lived set in, and Lisa broke out some drinks she had tucked away. Wine coolers, nothing special, but she and Taylor each took one, and Alec and Brian mixed themselves a little heavier drinks. Warren took a drink from Brian, and even Kelsey grabbed a wine cooler and plopped down between Taylor and Lisa, giggling as they recounted certain events.

Rachel went to her room, and Warren followed her. She let him in, apparently not even caring that he had followed her, and he walked right up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. She froze for a moment, then she was rubbing her behind back against his groin slightly as he leaned down and licked her neck. “You fought well,” she said softly. “I was impressed. I don't impress easily.”

He growled lightly in her ear, and put one hand on her back, forcing her torso down, so her bottom was pressed more fully into his groin. He ground against her, feeling his cock react and stiffen. “Think I need to remind you who top dog is,” he growled.

She turned back, and noticed the door was standing wide open. “Can you at least shut the door?” she asked, as he reached around her waist and undid her pants, yanking them and her boys' boxer shorts down quickly, so her bare ass was now grinding against him. He didn't feel like taking this slow, or even being romantic about it. He was worked up from the fight, and needed a quick release to unwind. Reminding Bitch where she ranked was just a second perk of the task at hand. He undid his own pants, pulling them down to his knees, and stroked his cock in one hand, feeling it surge to full readiness as he pictured what he was about to do.

Rachel groaned as he worked the head of his cock between her legs, rubbing it against her pussy. To his surprise, she was already wet. _She must need this as badly as I do,_ he thought to himself, as he pressed it against her fuckhole, and pushed with his hips. She groaned as he sank into her, his cock spreading and stretching her tight passage, opening her up completely.

He wasted no time, and grabbing her hips with both hands as she rocked back against him, panting and growling for breath as he fucked her hard and fast, his hips rolling quickly, their bodies with a wet smack every time he bottomed out inside of her. She cried out softly as she came from the quick fuck session, and he growled as he felt her clenching around his cock and emptied his load inside of her quickly, the brief release far from mind numbing, but it was stress relieving. He pulled out of her, and slapped her bottom, making it jiggle as she twisted and sat on the bed, looking between her legs at his cum leaking out of her slit.

“Did you have to do it inside?” she growled.

“Yep.” He smirked at her.

“Well.. that was entertaining,” Brian said behind them, and he turned, seeing Brian and Lisa standing in the doorway, with Kelsey peeking around Lisa's back, pressed up against her, with one of Lisa's arms draped around her shoulders. “Do that often?”

Warren smirked. “Nope. Just needed the quick release.” He stepped through them into the hallway, and Taylor was just on the other side, leaning against the wall and smiling. She had stripped out of her suit, and wore only a tiny pair of spandex shorts and a sportsbra. Brian smirked as she looked between the two of them, and Lisa put both arms around Kelsey, bringing her around in front of her, and hugging her to her front.

“Oh... I see,” Warren said.

They ended up back in the main room, a tangle of limbs and kissing mouths, roving tongues and happy faces. Alec glanced up, then stared in a little bit of shock. Brian was kissing Taylor, with her pressed against him, stumbling backwards as he walked them towards the couch. Lisa and Kelsey were wrapped around one another like they had been born that way, with Warren walking behind Taylor, his hands on her hips while he licked her neck.

“Now... why wasn't I invited to this?” Alec muttered, watching as Kelsey was divested of her top, her smooth back to him as she glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled, crooking a finger, motioning for him to come over and join them.

Brian broke off from Taylor's mouth as she turned to Warren, letting his long tongue slip inside her mouth, pressing her bottom back against his bare cock. He was hard again already, and ground it across her shorts, pressing it into the valley between her cheeks, making her moan around his tongue.

Brian ran his hand down Kelsey's back, and then twisted it around and delved under her leggings, cupping her bottom, making her arch her back into his touch, even as Alec stepped in front of Taylor, rubbing her breasts through her bra and sliding one hand between her legs. Lisa laid on he back and pulled Kelsey down atop her while Brian continued to kiss and lick her back, his fingers working their way between her spread legs, under her bum to find her moist little slit. He rubbed his middle finger along it, pressing it up between her lips, making the girl press her chest into Lisa's as the two girls shared a passionate, fierce kiss. Kelsey slipped her hand down the front of Lisa's shorts, wiggling her hand under the tight cloth, across her smooth skin, to her sex.

Warren pressed his cock harder against Taylor's bottom as she moaned and turned her attention to Alec, taking his face in both hands and pulling him forward for a kiss. Alec eagerly sucked her tongue into his mouth as he massaged her pussy through her shorts and squeezed one breast. She pressed back into Warren harder, and slipped one hand down Alec's chest to his crotch, finding his cock under his pants and giving it a soft squeeze as it hardened in her grip.

Brian slid down Kelsey's back and drew her shorts down far enough to expose her little pert bottom, and lowered his mouth to her, pushing her cheeks apart with his hands as he licked her back entrance, wiggling his tongue against her and pushing her harder into Lisa, who enjoyed the pressure and the urgency with which Kelsey was fingering her, her small fingers moving rapidly in and out of her wet little hole.

The whole situation felt like a huge stress relief event. The fight had worked everyone up, then making the decision to join the New Wave was like turning over a new chapter in a book for all of them, starting something new and potentially exciting. The emotions of the moment came to an abrupt head, and exploded in sex.

Kelsey pushed up Lisa's top, sucking one of her breasts into her mouth and moaning around her hard nipple as Brian wiggled his tongue up inside of her. She switched breasts while Lisa arched up into her and gave a soft moan herself, Kelsey's fingers working faster and faster under her shorts, building her up to an orgasm. Taylor gasped as Warren pulled down her shorts, and spread her legs apart with his own, putting his cock between her thighs and rubbing it against the bottom of her pussy while Alec found her clit at the top of her sex and massaged it gently, helping her out of her sportsbra with his other hand and lowering his mouth to her small breast, sticking out his tongue and licking one erect nipple slowly. Warren turned her head and stuck his tongue back in her mouth, dominating her while she rocked her hips between his cock and Alec's fingers.

Brian lifted Kelsey off of Lisa, and pulled her shorts the rest of the way off, then laid her on her back on top of Lisa, pulling off her bottoms as well, then pushed both of their legs open, and settled between their spread thighs, licking from the bottom of Lisa's wet sex all the way up, across Kelsey's bottom, to the top of her tiny little slit, teasing her clit with the tip of his tongue before moving back down, focusing on Lisa for a bit.

Taylor twisted in Warren's arms, and dropped to a crouch before him, leaning forward with her mouth open to take his cock into her mouth. She didn't stop rubbing and squeezing Alec's cock through his jeans, sucking Warren's thick cock into her mouth as far as she could and licking it with her small, quick tongue. Alec watched for a moment, then undid his jeans, pushing them off, and stepped over by Lisa and Kelsey's head, putting his cock right in front of Kelsey's face. She glanced up at him, and smiled, sticking her tongue out and licking his shaft from the base to the tip. The two girls wiggled about a bit until Lisa could get high enough to lick him too, Kelsey's cheek pressed to her own as he ran his cockhead back and forth between the two girls' wet, hot mouths. He groaned as he finally reached down, grabbing the back of Kelsey's head, and sank his shaft into her mouth, pulling her down until she was coughing around him, then pulled out and did the same to Lisa, pulling her down until her nose was pressed into his groin, his cock fully extended down her throat. Kelsey watched, kissing her love's cheek and licking her ear, then Alec pulled out and shoved his cock back into her mouth, switching back and forth rapidly, neither girl minding at all as Brian continued to lick their pussies below.

Taylor bobbed her head slowly back and forth on Warren's shaft, taking him deeper at his urging, his hand on the top of her head guiding her slowly back and forth in long, slow strokes while her tongue caressed and licked his cock, slowly moving deeper and deeper in the back of her mouth until it was nudging its way down her throat. Brian watched over the curve of Kelsey's flat belly as she sucked on Alec's cock again while his tongue wiggled within her wet sex, his fingers busy rubbing Lisa's clit and finger fucking her quick and hard, making her writhe and pant as she got close to an orgasm again.

He pinched her clit and applied direct pressure, smirking into Kelsey's young sex as Lisa cried out and clenched around his fingers, cumming for the first time. He crawled up their bodies, licking his way up Kelsey's smooth belly and sucking on her tiny nipples, then stood up, and both girls moved, crouching on the floor like Taylor was. Kelsey had Alec's cock in her mouth and Lisa took Brian's in hers, his hands grabbing her sides of her head and holding her still as he gently, but forcefully, fucked her face, sliding his cock all the way down her throat before pulling out and repeating the motion. Alec mimicked his movements, grabbing Kelsey and holding her still to use her mouth like a pussy, fucking it slowly and surely.

After a few minutes, Taylor was the first to move, getting to her feet as Warren urged her around to the back of the couch, and bent her over the back, rubbing his cock, slick with her saliva and his own precum, up and down her sex, pushing her hips up against the couch and rubbing her entrance with his cock. Brian lifted Lisa, and took her around as well, bending her over it just like Taylor, and rubbed his cock against her small slit, groaning as he felt her heat and wetness on the tip of his cock, dying to shove it into her and fuck her until he exploded. Alec simply turned Kelsey around so she was kneeling over the front of the couch, facing the other two, and knelt behind her, pushing her legs open and sinking his cock deep inside of her tight, small, young pussy with one hard thrust, making her moan and gasp. Lisa leaned over slightly to kiss her, their tongues twisting together as Brian worked his way into her as well, groaning as he sank his iron shaft into her liquid heat, gripping her bottom in both hands as he pushed forward.

Taylor groaned as Warren speared her with his own thick shaft and then Lisa turned her to face them, and Kelsey was kissing her. It was the first time Taylor had kissed another girl, but she found immediately that she liked it, her pussy clenching with a hard jolt of pure arousal as Kelsey's small nubile tongue darted into her mouth and traced her lips. She gasped as Warren bucked his hips against her, pulling back and sliding more of himself into her tight passage. Lisa kissed her next while Kelsey was licking and sucking on her neck, then Kelsey's tongue was back in her mouth... she lost herself in the mix of sensations, the girl before her and the cock behind her, slamming into her harder and harder, lifting her feet clear off the ground with every hard thrust, her bottom jiggling as his hips slammed into her. Alec leaned over Kelsey's small back and groaned as he thrust harder into her own tight little sex.

“Holy fuck you're tight,” he moaned, and pushed his hips harder and faster, fucking the young girl harder than she ever had been before in her life. Brian picked up the pace, hammering into Lisa, making her pant and gasp with every thrust, Kelsey sucking on her tongue as they both got hammered...

Kelsey was the first to cum, her orgasm breaking over her body like a wave and exploding through her senses, washing through every fiber of her being. Her toes curled, her back arched hard, her pussy clenched tight, and she cried out into Lisa's mouth... Alec grit his teeth as he pulled out, and laid his cock on her bottom, thrusting against her smooth, hot flesh as he came, his cum shooting up her spine in long white ropes of sticky cum, some getting in her hair. Lisa was next, squeezing Kelsey to her as she shook and came, their mouths sealed together in a hot kiss that just didn't end. Brian drew back and came on her pussy, shooting his thick cum up onto her bottom in sticky arches, running down thebacks of her thighs and covering her wet slit, which was oozing her own cum. Taylor watched it all, suspended in a state of orgasm as Warren hammered her harder and harder, her body twitching and writhing as she came and came, once, twice, three times... then she was sagging, out of energy, and Warren exploded within her, his hot cum filling her small body and flowing down her pale thighs as he sagged backwards.

None of them had the energy to move as they all came down from their respective orgasms, staring at one another and giggling. Lisa climbed over the couch and gathered Kelsey in her arms, cuddling her tightly, and after a moment Taylor joined them, while all three guys sat where they had been, breathing hard and fighting to keep their eyes open suddenly.

“I need a shower, or I'm going to be all types of sticky,” Kelsey muttered. Lisa purred some type of agreement, and they slipped off the couch, heading to the bathroom. Taylor watched for a moment, then darted off to join them.

Warren watched them go, then chuckled to himself and made his way to his bed. It was time for a well-deserved rest.

* * * * * * *

The next morning came with a flurry of activity. Warren called Glory Girl to let them know they had accepted the offer, and asked if they had some vans, or trucks they could send out, to put some stuff in. Glory Girl quickly had it arranged for two white vans to be at their location, and the next bit was filled with Lisa overseeing the packing, going through each room to make sure everything of import was gathered. Taylor loaded most of her bugs into two crates, packed in rather tightly, and had them loaded into one van, with a bunch of other stuff. Brian set a small fire in the loft, where they burned anything the didn't want to take, then, once they were done, he scattered it, putting it out, and they loaded into the vans themselves, heading towards neutral ground to meet Glory Girl and Panacea, and finalize their entrance to New Wave.

Warren watched as Bitch hopped in the van with him, sitting next to him, surrounded by her dogs. He smiled at her, and despite herself, Rachel gave him a little half-smile back, then they were pulling away, leaving one chapter behind... and starting a whole new one.

 


	9. Chapter 9

I smiled as I hurried down the hallway, Lisa behind me. We were both still naked, and I had a distinct feeling that this little shower would turn out to be a much funner foray. I opened the door, and stepped in. Lisa stepped in, then held the door open for a moment. I looked at her, confused, until Taylor stepped in as well, blushing slightly, and moving her arms to hide her nakedness under the bright glare of the light. Lisa smiled, and closed, then locked, the door.

“That was... interesting,” Taylor said after a moment as we stood around, in various stages of stickyness. I could feel some of the cum on my back drying, and itched to have it out of my hair, at the very least. Taylor had a drop slowly making its way down her inner thigh, and Lisa seemed content to ignore the mess between her own legs for the moment.

“Very,” I added to what she said, then giggled.

Lisa smiled. “Yeah. It was, wasn't it? Wonder why that's never happened before... it was fun.”

“Probably because sex has consequences,” Taylor said, and Lisa rolled her eyes at her.

“No fun, being miss serious,” she chided. “Just admit you enjoyed yourself too.”

Taylor blushed again, but nodded. I glanced at the light, which seemed far too bright and too harsh, and climbed up onto the sink counter. “Someone hand me the screwdriver in the drawer. Oh, and the pliers.”

Lisa opened the drawer under the sink. “What.... why are there tools in the bathroom?”

“They're everywhere,” I said with a grin, and used the screwdriver to pop the light's cover off, then wrapped my hand in a towel just in case the bulb was hot and unscrewed it, then popped it's socket loose, and fiddled with the wiring behind it for a moment, then popped it back into place. With the light out, in the darkness, I heard the other two shuffling behind me, but waiting patiently. It only took me a matter of seconds to get what I wanted done, then popped the light socket back in, and screwed the bulb back in. It came back on, but was far more muted than it had been, casting a soft glow across the room rather than a bright, nearly harsh glow.

“Oo, romantic,” Lisa giggled. I put the cover back over the light and turned to her, placing my arms on her shoulders, and pulled her over. Kneeling on the counter as I was, I was significantly taller than her, so her face was at my belly. I giggled as she kissed it, then wiggled her tongue against my navel, then pulled me down a bit so I was sitting on my heels, and kissed my lips, softly and tenderly, gently exploring my mouth and wrapping her arms around me as she did so. I kissed her back, just as lovingly, and clung to her tightly.

“Ahem,” Taylor said, mocking clearing her throat.

Lisa drew back with a sly smile. “Jealous?” she asked, and put one hand on Taylor's hip, drawing her close.

“Um... n-no,” Taylor stammered slightly, as her hips met Lisa's, and Lisa drew her into a kiss, soft, no tongue, just pressing their lips lightly together. When they parted, Taylor's eyes slowly opened, and she blushed again. “I just... aren't we going to shower?”

“Sure,” I said, and hopped off the counter, turned on the water, and pulled back the shower curtain so they could climb in. I hopped in right after, and closed the curtain.

Originally, I had always hated this shower. It was a slightly shower stall, that had about a four inch lip around it, but instead of the doors, just a flimsy curtain. It was fairly large, about seven feet long, and four feet wide, and suddenly, I loved it instead of hating it. The shower head itself was fairly large, and put out a great spray that had all three of us soaked in seconds, water dripping from our bodies as we took turns turning under the spray, originally focusing on cleaning up. I shampooed my hair while Taylor washed my back off with some soap, coming down to my bottom, and nervously, shyly washing it as well, her hands moving over my cheeks slowly, subtly cupping and squeezing. I grinned to myself as I felt her fingers slide between my cheeks for just a split second, slick with soap, and ghost across my back hole, before slipping away and rinsing me off.

I washed out the shampoo, then washed Lisa's back for her, paying special attention to her bottom, carressing and rubbing it, working my hand between her legs, caressing her inner thighs as I washed all the traces of the boy away from her. She gasped slightly as I pushed my soapy fingers into her pussy, finding her wet, aroused, and looked at me with a grin as I worked them in and out, washing her insides out..

She shuddered as I withdrew my hand, rinsed her clean, and turned my attention to Taylor. I got some body wash on both my hands, then smoothed them over her tummy, pushing her back to the wall, caressing up to the bottoms of her small breasts, working my hands down her sides, over her hips, up her inner thighs, cupping her sex, which was admittedly a bit hairy; not badly, but a bit... then up over the curve of her hips, thoroughly washing and cleaning her outsides, then returned my hands between her legs, pulling her netherlips apart and sliding my fingers between them. I could feel the gooey mess still inside of her with my fingers, and slid them up into her, soapy and slick, and made her moan, eyes shut as she arched her hips into my hand as I cleaned her insides out, scooping as much of Warren's cum out of her as I could, rinsing it away. Once I was sure she was clean, I guided her back under the water, rinsing her off, and kept rubbing her pussy, keeping her wet, right on the edge of a climax.

Lisa stepped over, and turned Taylor to face her, and kissed her again, this time sliding her tongue into her mouth, while reaching down, cupping a small breast, tweaking her little nipple. “You've never been with a girl, right?” she asked, licking her neck. Taylor shook her head, making small whimpering sounds as I slid two fingers up inside of her, curling them, dragging them against her G-spot. “Then.. you need to have Kelsey lick your pussy. You have to feel her talented little tongue in you...”

I took the hint, and slid to my knees before her, pressing Taylor's legs open more, edging forward, kissing her thighs as I worked my way up slowly to her wet sex, my fingers still deep inside of her, curling over her G-spot repeatedly, making her pant and moan softly as Lisa moved to her breasts, sucking on each nipple in turn, squeezing and fondling them as I finally moved my tongue to her sex, right at the top of her pussy, tickling her erect little clit with my tongue.

“Hmm... may I do something, while I'm here?” I asked.

Taylor glanced down at me. “What?”

“Shave you,” I said simply. “I like shaved...”

Taylor blushed hotly, but nodded, and I smiled, grabbing Lisa's razor and some cream. I lathered her up, then shaved her smooth and bare in a matter of seconds, with quick, precise strokes. Lisa turned, and presented herself to me. “Me too,” she said. I moved over to her pussy, which barely needed it, and kissed her there first, wiggling my tongue inside of her, tasting her familiar juices run over my chin. She moaned and arched into me, and I pulled back, shaved her bare in seconds, and then rinsed them both off, admiring my handiwork. Two bare, sexy pussies... I dived into Taylor's again first, running my tongue up the length of her slit. I could taste the soap, from before, but it was faint, being washed away as she got wetter and wetter, and more of her juices leaked out of her. She was tangier than Lisa, not quite as sweet, like a peach that just wasn't quite ripe yet, but still pleasant. I sucked her clit into my mouth and worked it with my tongue, making her jerk and writhe.

Above, Lisa was kissing her, running her hands all over her chest, and Taylor was rubbing Lisa's breasts in turn. I watched, looking up through the fall of the warm water, watching Lisa's tongue twist between their mouths, Taylor's locked against it, their lips parting them coming back together, their tongues never seperating... I moaned, and rubbed Lisa's pussy with one hand, making her spread her legs slightly as I slid my fingers up into her, making her arch her back, then placing my thumb over her clit and giving it a good rub as I tongue-fucked Taylor, pushing my tongue as deep into her wet hole as I could and wiggling it about, making her moan into Lisa's mouth.

I scooted farther under Taylor, tilting my head back, and licked her fully, pausing at her clit to suck on it again, then moving down to her entrance, thrusting my tongue back into her. I ran one hand over the curve of her round bottom, into the valley between her cheeks, and found her back entrance, and pushed one wet finger up inside of her there. She cried out as I did so, and came for the first time, her juices flooding my mouth as she jerked against my mouth, some running over my cheeks, dripping off my chin. I grinned as I pulled away, and slid over to Lisa, but she other ideas, and encouraged me to lay on my back, sitting over me, facing my feet. Taylor sat between my knees as Lisa straddled my head, and lowered her pussy to my mouth. I eagerly began sucking and licking on her folds, holding her bottom, running my tongue up and down the entirety of her sex, and, as she rocked forwards, even getting my tongue to her back hole, teasing it slightly.

Lisa pulled my legs wide open, and guided Taylor down to my young little slit. I was sopping wet, dying to be touched, and could feel drops of my own wetness running down into my bottom, not just the shower water. Taylor leaned in at Lisa's urging, and began to kiss my thighs as Lisa spread my sex open for Taylor's viewing pleasure, rolling her hips against my mouth until Taylor's hot mouth finally landed on my pussy, her tongue nervous, shy, unsure, but still felt amazing as it licked at me, tracing my outer lips and folds, teasing my tiny clit, running around my entrance, which was drooling a steady stream of girljuice.

Lisa was sucking on my inner thigh while Taylor licked my pussy, the dual assault driving me crazy quickly. I slid two fingers into Lisa's tight pussy, and another into her bottom, double penetrating her while I sucked on her clit and pressed it against my teeth lightly....

She cried my name as she came, her hips grinding hard into me, then she rolled off, laying on her back next to me, letting Taylor have full access...

It didn't take but a few moments for me to reach my own orgasm. I bucked up against her mouth as she slid a finger deep into my tight passage, and she sucked on my clit, and I lost it, grabbing Lisa's hands and squeezing them tightly as my body jerked and writhed as I came.

Once it was over, the three of us lay there for a few moments, the water drumming down on us, then finally Lisa got up, getting me to my feet, and turned the water off, wrapping the both of us in a single big towel, and took me to bed. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

* * * * * * *

Being rushed about the next morning was about the least fun thing on the face of the earth. For one, Lisa woke us up around 5:30am, just so she could hassle me into getting dressed, then packing what little clothes I had bought, then gathering up my extensive tool spread. It really hit me, as I was slipping from room to room, gathering parts, pieces, and tools that I had a space problem. And, that I really, really was not a good morning person, especially when I had been kept up late the night before. I grouched my way around, muttering dark things that I'd like to do to Lisa for waking me up early like this. As I stalked past Brian, muttering about inventing a device that would vary the pressure of a bed of needles for her to lay on, he gave Lisa an arched brow, and she giggled, and shrugged it off.

We went all over the loft and by the time I was done packing up my stuff, it was time to get going. I climbed into the van, and Lisa climbed in next to me, and despite my earlier irritation with her, I curled into her side as Brian drove the van away from the warehouse for the last time. As we rounded a corner, Lisa pulled out her phone. She had the rest of the phones that Brian had gotten with the boss's money in a bag, and phoned the boss himself.

“It's Tattle. Nope, we're fine. Hey, just wanted to let..... what? You do? Wow. Word travels quick. Hey, we just wanted to let you know..... yeah. No, no animosity at all. We're all completely cool. Just deciding to try some new things, see where they take us. Right. And, one last thing, we just all wanted to express our gratitude for everything, for before. Yep. Thanks.” She hung up, and glanced at Brian.

“That was weird, he already knew,” she said. She looked out the window for a moment.

Brian squeezed the steering wheel. “Was he mad?”

“No, no. Quite supportive, really. I just... how did he know?”

“Dunno. Guess, as long as he doesn't mind, isn't mad at us... it can't be that bad, can it?”

Lisa shrugged, and put an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to her, as if she needed the reassurance that I was there suddenly. “I can't help but feeling like I should have seen that. It's almost like there's something blocking my power when it comes to him, sometimes. It's eerie. I don't get it, or why, or how.”

Brian shrugged, a little uneasy. “Look forwards, not backwards,” he advised softly. “We have a lot coming up, and we're all relying on you, more than you know.”

She glanced at him, a knowing look passing between them. I stayed silent, thoughtful. It was entirely possible that he had had the warehouse bugged, somehow. But then, Lisa's power would have told her that, unless he had found a way around her power. And if he had, and we had just left his employ... it suddenly seemed a dangerous route we had taken, but there was some safety in the idea of joining with the New Wave. They were a powerful organization in and of themselves, and with us filling up their ranks some more, I figured things would get even better for them. I settled in, relaxing in the silence, for the rest of the ride. When we pulled up at the designated meeting spot, we all got out of the vans. We were on the top floor of a parking garage, and gathered a little ways away from the vans. None of us were in costume. We had decided to go through the meeting without them, to let Glory Girl and Panacea, or Victoria and Amy, respectively, know that we were serious about accepting their offer. We had only been standing there, talking idly, for about three or four minutes when a car pulled in, and parked next to the vans. Victoria and Amy got out of the backseat, neither in costume themselves, but looking like normal girls, and walked over. The driver turned out to be Mark Dallon himself, the girls' father. Brian stepped forward, and shook his head, nodding to each of the girls.

Amy frowned, looking over the group. “Where's Warren?” she asked.

I looked over at Warren, who had his projector unit turned on, and pointed. “There.”

He waved at them, and grinned. Amy frowned harder. “I... see. Is your... wolf appearance part of your powers then?”

He shook his head, and when he spoke, his voice was still low, rough, barely above a growl. “No, this is an illusion.” He waved a hand at himself.

Victoria blinked. “Mental illusion?”

“Holographic projection,” I corrected. “He can't really go out in public naturally without drawing large amounts of attention. This was my solution; a projector clipped on his belt that casts that holograph around his body at all times, built with a self-sustaining energy source, as its energy consumption is actually quite low... it was pretty easy to accomplish, once I found out how to loop the energy containment field back over itself, which resulted in—”

“Hun. Shh.” Lisa laid her hand on my shoulder, and I noticed the blank looks I was getting from all three of the New Wave members. I blushed.

“Sorry.”

“She's your tinker, then?” Mark asked. Nods from all around me. “And... her parents...?”

“My dad doesn't care, as long as I keep out of his way. He wasn't a very... good... dad.”

Mark's eyes flickered to Amy, of all people, then back to me. “I see. Sorry to hear that.”

I shrugged. “I'm not. Let's me do something meaningful instead of dealing with his BS.”

Victoria smiled. “I like her. She's definitely in.”

I smiled back.

“So perhaps we should do some general introductions,” Mark said. “I'm Mark Dallon, as you're probably aware, also known as Flashbang. These are my daughters, Victoria and Amy, or Glory Girl and Panacea.”

We all nodded. We knew that much about them; they were rather public figures, after all. “I'm Lisa,” Lisa said, with a small wave, and a smile. “You might know me better as Tattletale.”

“Bitch,” Rachel said, and left it at that.

Panacea smiled at her, and said, “I got a site ready for you, Rachel. It's on the edge of town, so there's plenty of space. I'm having a fence put in now, so the dogs will have plenty of room to run and exercise. Of course, I'd love to take you there personally, and introduce you to a couple of the people that will work there. There'll be someone on hand, twenty-four hours, to make sure the dogs are always in good care.”

Bitch's eyes widened. “You... you're not fucking with me?”

“Nope, not at all. I'm quite serious. We're impressed with your passion and dedication to helping the animals in this city, and what we can do to help, we will.”

I turned and smiled at Bitch, who glanced at me, then back at Panacea, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if she was trying to figure out if this was a trick. “If I don't like the people there, can I kick them out?”

Panacea nodded. “It's your facility, you're free to hire anyone there you choose. The employees currently lined up to work there are all volunteers with extensive backgrounds in dog care and rescue.”

“I'll see about that,” Bitch muttered, but then fell silent, looking brooding and thoughtful.

“Alec. Regent.” Alec waved his hand.

“I'm Brian, or Grue. Unofficial leader of our little group. I'd like to thank you for your generous offer. When we talked it over, we realized that our goals have always been a little misaligned with what we're doing. We're all rather excited about the opportunity.”

“Kelsey,” I said, bouncing slightly as I waved. Victoria gave me another broad smile, and even Amy smiled a little. “I'm Twilight. Really new to the group, but I'm super excited about getting to team up with you guys. I'm a tinker, and um... well. I have no idea what the PRT classification is, but I can bend and warp stuff... you know, like that one girl, on the Wards. Only mine is better,” I clarified quickly. Victoria snickered a little at that, and even Mark smiled at me.

“Warren. Morkulv.” He said nothing more, and the group attention shifted towards Taylor, the last to introduce herself.

“I'm Skitter... uh. Taylor.”

“There's no reason to be afraid of us,” Victoria said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “I mean. I know the time before last when we saw one another, you were holding a knife to my sister's throat and I wanted to break every bone in your body, but we're past that.”

I laughed. I couldn't help it. That particular time in question, I had also been the one to inadvertently disable Glory Girl's power, and enable Warren's knockout punch. It had set in motion the entire series of events that had lead me to right here, right now. So, I laughed, and it was infectious. Pretty soon, even Victoria chuckled at her own comment, and Amy was smiling, Lisa laughing with me.

“Glad that was amusing for you,” Taylor muttered, her cheeks pink.

“Sorry. It's just funny cause it's true... a while ago, they wanted to kill us, now we're allies. Becoming friends. It's funny, how the world works, how times change, how people adapt to different circumstances,” I explained, and shrugged.

Victoria studied me for a moment, then gave me a little wink. I felt Lisa bump into my back, and her hand on my shoulder tightened for a moment, almost possessively. Instead of a spark of annoyance that I expected to feel, my tummy fluttered, and I melted back against her a little, loving that she cared enough to BE jealous.

“So, aside from everything else, we're very glad you have decided to accept our offer. As we said last night, this was originally Amy's idea, so I'll let her lay everything out to you guys. You still have the choice to stop, to leave, if you don't like anything you hear.” Mark turned to Amy, who stepped closer to our group.

“So, after our encounter in the bank, I began to think about things, and evaluate what had happened, logically and emotionally. It was pretty clear, from a logical point of view, that your bank heist was focused on in and out, as little damage as possible, no casualties. In fact, I overheard some concern for bystanders myself, ironically from the one with the most control over us.” Her eyes focused on Taylor for a moment. “You set spiders on us, scared people into complying with your orders, and emotionally, it was terrible thinking about a deadly insect somewhere on you. But logically, there's no way you had that many deadly spiders in place that fast. That left me to assume that some were harmless. Maybe even flies, or gnats.” Taylor blushed, but she nodded. “Which to me, tells me that you never wanted to harm anyone. That you spoke and acted big, to scare people into compliance. No one else in the group challenged you for this, at least in sight of the public. That to me also said that they also cared, to some extent, about innocents. Maybe not everyone, maybe not right then, maybe not consciously, but at some level, the care and the worry was there.

“That left me to ponder the _why_ of the assault. Well, it became clear to the PRT, and to us, shortly afterwards, but I'm actually going to go out on a limb here and say that you are all still pretty unaware of what you were doing, and who you were working for.” There were a couple nods, mostly still, considering looks. “There was a pretty major kidnapping that happened during the robbery, when all of the capes were focused on stopping you. It occurred to me then that someone was using your group; manipulating you, probably with promises that sounded too good to be true, as you were a relatively minor group, without a sphere of influence in the villains' world. So, we started watching you. Me and Victoria found Warren here, shortly after I made up my mind on this, and had a talk with him. We asked him what he thought of you all, what your intentions were, if you were good, or mislead, or working to be as big and dangerous as the ABB, persay.

“What he said definitely swayed our minds. He portrayed your group as good people, trying to find a niche in society that would accept them. Perhaps with some rough edges, perhaps with some issues, here and there, sure. That happens when you've been kicked around by the system, unable to defend yourselves. Prosecuted for trying to survive... so me and Victoria did our homework. Had Gallant pull all your records, and looked over everything that's known about you. There's actually precious little. A few tragic stories, some minor crime, etc. I decided then that I wanted to help. That if New Wave was about making a difference, we should all want to help. So I brought my idea to the rest of the family. Bring you guys fully into the group. Not just as allies, but as friends. We would do what we could to help, support, and build a lasting foundation for a solid relationship with every one of you. Because that's what you need. Not to be used, mislead, and end up like the ABB, or worse. You all have so much potential, and we can help you reach that, figure out where you belong, without the pressure of following the law to the letter like the PRT capes, or without worrying about getting your throat cut on your next job, by whoever you're working with at the time. We want to be more than your friends and allies; we want to be your extended family.”

She paused, and looked around at the group. Lisa was biting her lip, and squeezing my shoulder. Brian looked very, very thoughtful. Taylor looked... happy. Like she had found something she had been looking for. Rachel still looked like she thought she was being lied to, and Regent... well. He looked bored. As usual. Warren was nodding along, the projector hiding most of his facial expression, but he looked happy, in his own way. Like he approved what was going on, what was being said.

“So that all being said... we have opened a set of apartments for you. You can pick and choose the ones you want. We will ask that one or two of you manage the property, collect the rent from other tenants, basic responsibilities, which of course you would be compensated for. Legal income, an actual job.”

Victoria stepped up. “Of course, we have set up donation funding for Rachel's dog shelter, and if it generates enough revenue, we can even open other shelters as time goes on. We will help the rest of you find jobs, as you desire, except of course Kelsey, as you're a little young for a proper job.” Her eyes went to Mark. “I'm not entirely sure what the legalities are with her, actually.”

“She's with me,” Lisa said firmly. “She stays with me. I'm seventeen, I have legal status, and I can take any and all responsibility for her that the law decrees is necessary.”

Mark frowned. “Being seventeen will provide some... complications to that.”

“Then I will,” Brian said. “I'm eighteen. I'm fighting to take legal custody of my sister, if you can help me with that, provide proof of legal income, the like, then, it shouldn't be a problem to take legal responsibility for Kelsey as well. Under the circumstances.”

Mark nodded, then waved a hand. “I'm sure all of that can be done. We'll go through the proper channels, expedite the processes, make sure everything is done correctly and legally. As long as you have no problems laying any and all criminal activities aside, then, we would love to welcome you to the family.”

We all grinned, shook hands, and Victoria even crouched down a little bit to give me a hug. Then we piled back into the vans, and followed the car to our new homes. The apartment complex they lead us to was, for lack of any better term, gigantic. It was perhaps the largest in all of Brockton Bay, several stories tall, with balconies and tall glass windows that were floor-to-ceiling. We went in through the main lobby, where Amy peeled off to gather a list of all the available rooms, then we began to do walkthroughs. Bitch took the first one on the ground floor, right close to the doorway. She walked in, looked around, and nodded, stating that it was good, and went out to begin carrying her things in by herself. The rest of us went on. Regent took the next, on the third floor, that had a large living area, a bar in the kitchen, and a luxury bedroom with balcony access and a private bathroom. We left him there and moved on. Taylor took the next, on the fifth floor, standing nervously in the middle of the room, but all smiles as it sunk in that this was now hers. Brian took the room next to hers, and Warren took the one across the hall. Me and Lisa went up to the next floor, the top floor, and took the one on the end of the hall. It was in the corner, and two of the four walls of the living area were floor-to-ceiling windows with amazing views over the entirety of the city.

None of the living spaces were furnished, so Victoria gave us cards that were linked to an expense account, advising us of the funds available to each of us, as part of the family. Our income, it seemed, would be mostly related to their own. I felt tempted to explain my own source of funds, but decided I would do it at a later time, full disclosure, so they would know what to expect, if anything happened with the PRT once they found out who I was, what I had done in the past.

Victoria and Amy made sure we were all set, gave us all our keys, made sure everyone had their numbers to get in touch, and let us know that this coming weekend they would have a type of celebration for us, and that they would let us know when and where. Then, Victoria let us know that she fully expected us to take some time adjusting before we would be expected to go out in costume, and let us know how to communicate with them, if needed in the field. I made a mental note to make some more ear pieces for everyone, and try to find a way to boost the signal strength on KC so I would be able to keep in direct contact. Then, they were gone.

So, like any two girls with a brand new apartment, we went down to Taylor's, collecting her on our way out to go shopping. We hit up the major stores first, ordering furniture, couches, chairs, dining materials, kitchen utensils, beds, shower necessities. We spent several hours going from store to store, and ended up spending nearly our entire monthly “allowance” in a single afternoon on our apartments. I dipped into my personal account a few times, ordering a high-spec computer and several new screens, bluetooth accessories, and special-ordered about a dozen phones. We had most of it delivered, and then went out to a nice dinner, which I paid for, once again out of my personal funds. We had a great time, girl time, relaxing and enjoying one another's company, for the first time really forgetting the stress and fear that came with being in the Docks, being pursued by the ABB, or any one of the hundred other threats.

For the first time, Taylor unwound, and really relaxed as well. Her smile was genuine, her laugh infectious. She smiled and her eyes sparkled. It was a miraculous change from what we had been in the loft. While it had been comfortable, sure, it had still had the mark of danger upon it. Never had been 100% secure, or safe, always had an invisible stress hanging over it, most of which just came from calling one's self a villain.

We were walking back to the apartment complex when Taylor came to a sudden full stop in the middle of the sidewalk. We both stopped, and glanced back at her. “What is it? What's wrong?”

Taylor shook her head, but I sensed her shutting down, putting up walls, closing us and everything out immediately. She swallowed, and hunched slightly, bowing her head, not saying anything. Lisa frowned. “Taylor? What is it?”

She shook her head again. “Nothing. Can we go?”

I frowned. Something was definitely not right. I looked up, glancing around. Aside from another group of girls that were heading our direction on the sidewalk, there wasn't even other people around. “Taylor?” I said softly.

“Just... please. Let's go.” She went to cross the street, but had to stop as a car rushed by, then another, and another. She shifted anxiously, looking for an opening, but there wasn't one to be found at the moment. I glanced at Lisa, who frowned, then looked at the girls coming, then back at Taylor, then back at the girls, her eyes widening.

“Are they... the ones? From school?” Lisa asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the oncoming girls.

Taylor winced. “I hate it when you do that. Use your power on me. It's not fair.”

“Sorry, I don't do it actively, it just kind of happens, sometimes. They are, aren't they. The ones that give you a hard time.”

Taylor nodded, and looked sick doing it.

I growled. “You're my friend, Taylor. I won't let them do anything to you. You trust me, right?”

She looked at me, and I was surprised to see she was nearly in tears. “That's not it. It's just... the reminder. Everything was going so well today, and then they show up. I'll never be away from that. No matter what I do, where I go, they—or people like them—will always be there.”

“And people like us always will too.” Lisa said firmly. “Come on. We're going, and they can kiss your ass. They're nothing compared to you. Slimy little spoiled shits. You're a great person, doing things that would break them like a cheap happy meal toy.”

Taylor smiled very slightly, and let us lead her back down the sidewalk. The other girls had noticed us by now, and I saw their eyes light up as they kept approaching. There were three: the one in the middle was pretty, red-haired, with cute, delicate features. To her right, tall and athletic, curved in all the right places, was a darker complexioned girl with her cell phone in hand, studying the screen with one eye while she looked at us with the other, it seemed. And to her left, a petite, pretty girl, her hair a light brown. I forced myself to look over them, ignoring them, until the one in the middle spoke.

“My God, is that you Taylor? Wow. I thought you'd died. Or moved away. Not that anyone missed you; it's just been a little boring without having you around.”

Taylor's nervousness slid away and I saw her tense, her shoulders straightening, her fists clenching.  _That's right, girl! Treat it like another fight!_ I mentally cheered her.

Lisa frowned at the girl who spoke. “Hey, don't I know you? Aren't... aren't you on magazines, or something?”

She smirked. “You might recognize me from a few shoots. I do modeling work, sometimes. When I can be bothered.” The petite girl laughed, as if she'd said something hilarious.

Lisa nodded, a smile spreading on her face. “Yeah, that's right, I remember now. You were in that article, billboard for... what was it...”

The arrogant girl listed off a few brand names, never taking her eyes off Taylor, smirking as if to say “See, even your friend likes me more already.”

“No, no,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “Wasn't it that chlamydia awareness article? Something about keeping your legs shut, don't be like this girl?” Lisa's smile was cruel as the girl turned to her, mouth open in shock.

“Bitch,” she snarled. “Just because you can't get a modeling contract!”

“Why would I want a modeling contract? Especially one like that? I mean... God. Do the boys go out of their way to avoid your diseased self yet?”

“Emma, they're baiting you,” said the petite girl, glaring at Lisa.

“I know that, dumbass,” Emma, apparently the red-heads name, snarled.

Lisa's smirk grew. “Emma Barnes. Spoiled like bitch child of Alan Barnes. Two bit underhanded lawyer.” The dark-skinned girl jerked, and looked up from her phone, but didn't say anything. It had been rather subtle... “Slimy lawyer, I've heard about him. Taking bad cases, making shitty people look innocent. Didn't he handle that case with the nutjob in the Wards? Shadow Stalker? She murders people. Everyone knows about it. Who steps up to bat? Your asshole father. Convinces the right people, lines the right pockets, and a murderer now 'protects' the streets of Brockton Bay. Oh, well done.”

“Shut the fuck up,” the dark-skinned girl growled.

Emma laid a hand on her arm. “Who the fuck are you, acting like you know what you're talking about?”

Lisa smirked at her. “I know very well what I'm talking about. Like you. Fucked up in the head. Think you're acting strong, think you're proving something. You don't know shit, you'll never know shit.”

“Fuck you,” Emma growled, but her cheeks were suffused with pure red, and it wasn't a blush of embarrassment. I reached over and took Taylor's hand, getting a little nervous.

She glanced at me, and Emma didn't notice it, latching onto it, turning her attention away from Lisa. “And this? Taken to hanging out with little kids, Taylor?”

“I'm not a kid.” I said it softly, but this girl... this trio... everything they did and said pissed me off. _Especially_ the dark-skinned girl, still glaring pure murder at Lisa, who ignored her, her characteristic smirk still on her face.

“You're a fucking kid. Shut the fuck up.”

“Don't.... don't talk to her like that,” Taylor hissed. Her hand on mine tightened.

“What are you going to do about it?” Emma snarled getting up in Taylor's face.

Taylor stared at her, eye-to-eye, for a long moment. “Nothing. You know why? Cause you aren't worth it. I don't know why you became this... this type of shitty person. I don't know why you shut me out, replaced me with  _that_ ,” she spat, looking at Sophia, “but you're not worth the effort it would take me to kick your ass. You're not worth agonizing over. And she,  _she_ definitely isn't.” Then, softer, into Emma's shocked face, she added, “You used to be a good person. I miss that Emma.”

She pulled me close, and we swept around them, Lisa moving to my other side, and smiling brightly at Taylor as we walked on, leaving the three girls standing, shell-shocked in the middle of the street. A few seconds later, we heard Emma clear screech “SHUT THE FUCK UP MADISON!”

I giggled a bit at that, and we walked back to the apartment complex in peace. We checked in Taylor's place first and noted that most of her furniture had already been delivered. None of it was really arranged, and there was definitely “some assembly required” on some of the pieces, but when we went to leave...

“Um... guys... I know, this is probably a little unusual, but...”

“Shh. It's alright,” Lisa interrupted. “Come up with us. We'd love to have you over tonight.”

So she came up to our room. Most of our place was in the same state. We set to putting the bed frame together, and Taylor grabbed some drinks from a vending machine in the lobby for us while we did so. By the time she was back, we were spreading some of the blankets out we had brought, and set up the TV on the floor, and plugged it in, finding a movie to watch, and talked and laughed for quite a while into the night.

Oddly, Emma, nor her little bitch friends, didn't come up even once.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Warren glanced around the broad expanse of his new apartment. It was large, roomy, comfortable. Very modern in design, with sleek hardwood floors in the main room, and thick padded carpet in the bedrooms. He walked around a bit, fingering the card in his pocket that Victoria had given him. It had come with a little “extra” present from her... a second pair of her panties wrapped around it. He had taken the card out, and had the panties tucked away with the first pair he had from her. He had to wonder if perhaps this would be a new thing, collecting pairs of her panties... what would she do if she started to run out? Buy more was the obvious answer, but still... he grinned to himself, and stepped out of the apartment. He contemplated seeing if Taylor wanted to go with him, but then instead stepped over to Brian's door, and knocked.

Brian answered after a moment. “Hey, what's up?”

Warren gave an easy smile. “Figured we probably could both do some shopping, or at the very least help one another unload the vans. And I think the girls abandoned us.”

Brian glanced down the hallway towards Taylor's room. “You sure?”

Warren shrugged. “Not very. I heard some voices in the hallway earlier, but didn't pay much attention. We could check, see if Taylor wanted to come with us.”

Brian nodded. “Alright. I do need a bed, at the very least. And maybe a couch.”

They stepped to Taylor's door and knocked. After a few moments of waiting without a response, Warren sighed. “Yep, they abandoned us.”

Brian smiled. “Girls. Can't live with em...”

“Can't live without em.” Warren finished, and they headed down and caught a cab heading into town.

They made idle talk while they traveled, and walked into one of the major stores in the area, buying a few pieces of rather basic furniture. The saleslady helping them eyed them both as they ordered two sets. “Bachelor pads?” she finally asked.

Warren smirked. “Got it in one,” he said.

She smiled back, and her attention focused more on Brian then, getting flirtier by the second. She bit her lip, made more excuses to touch his arms, and smiled widely at him. Warren watched, subtly smirking to himself the entire time. Brian was definitely aware of her actions as well, and was visibly uncomfortable by it. They arranged for the furniture to be delivered, and walked out, Warren breaking into a full body laugh as Brian shuddered.

“God, for a bit there, I was pretty sure she was going to volunteer to be on the delivery crew, and waiting for me back in my apartment,” Brian muttered.

“I wouldn't put it past her,” Warren laughed. “She's got her eyes locked on you.”

“Ugh, don't even... no. Not funny,” Brian said, shaking his head.

“I can just see the look on Taylor's face when you get back, and invite Taylor over... and she's there, inside, wearing some naughty lingerie laying on your bed for you...”

“Oh God,” Brian moaned. “Shut up. No more. Just... no more.”

They both laughed, and walked on down the street, deciding to grab a meal. Warren slipped the waitress an extra bill, and she brought them both a beer with their meal. Brian grinned as he clasped the frosty mug, and took a deep pull from it. “Ah. Nothing like a cold beer to celebrate a good day, right?”

Warren grinned, and nodded. They toasted the day, enjoyed their drinks and meal, and caught a cab back to the apartments. Warren entered to see most of his stuff had already been delivered, and set about setting things up. He got the bed set up, arranged his living room, and then had a bit of a thought... he had a few things left at his house. Not his house from his previous life, but the life he had taken over, or that had been “created” for him when he came here.

He wasn't very comfortable with the idea of even having it. It felt like something that wasn't his, not really. Something that had been there, but didn't truly, physically belong to him. Being able to remember his past, and present, in two entirely different realities, was troublesome, sometimes. He had to wonder, idly, as well if there was a chance of getting through one of the inter-dimensional portals, and returning to his real home, to where he had come from.

This, of course, launched a whole new series of thoughts. He found himself pouring through them as he was walking towards his old home. The sun was going down, and the streets were emptying of people, but he moved with a steady pace, unhurried.

If this world was connected to others, Aelph especially, and maybe more beyond that, and was considered Earth Beta... then what was the world he was from considered? It didn't match the profile for either of those. In that world, this entire universe was fictional, the brain product of a writer with a vivid imagination. But if he had literally thought this world into existence, how many more were out there? How many were half-created, existing in limbo as people considered and dismissed ideas? How many infinite options the universe truly existed? If the universe was truly infinite, the options for various things being throughout just one galaxy were so vast, so impossible to calculate, that it literally broke the conscious mind to consider it in its full potential. But if there were an infinite number of infinities, how many more options did that overlay over the originals? How many lives were truly original and truly unique? How many people lived cookie-cutter lives, filler for others?

His thoughts delved even deeper. If consciousness, and conscious thought truly only existed in one's mind, how many other people that one person interacted with were actually real? Was it not possible to create and project “filler” entities in certain situations? Such as remembering an event, and the number of people in attendance, incorrectly. If one did that, were these shadow people, people that had never truly existed, created on some fundamental level? Did they rise to fill a place in some world, somewhere? Did they have elaborate life stories, and intricate relationships with others, created in the blink of an eye?

Reality was a complex a thing that had ever existed, he decided, his head beginning to ache just from trying to fathom all of the different possibilities that were out there. He looked up, and realized he was standing in front of his old house. It was rather plain, just a white, typical suburban home, and he pulled his keys out of his pocket as he walked up, and unlocked the door, heading inside. Everything was exactly as he remembered it. Clean, tidy, almost... sterile. Nothing had a “lived in” feel. Everything was set “just so” and nothing was really ever out of place. That wasn't due to any particular style he had, or even OCD... it was more due to the fact that he cleaned it pretty regularly, but rarely stayed here. It was a place to come and get things, or drop things off. That was about it. He walked into the back of the house, the old floorboards creaking underfoot. His bedroom was the same. Dark colors, muted expression, nothing out of place. The bed was perfectly made, nothing strewn about on the floor. He looked about, and stepped to his closet, opening it and grabbing a few pairs of his favorite pants, the heavy duty cargo-style black carrharts that he loved. He tucked them under his arm, and was about to turn away when he noticed the black briefcase laying on the floor of his closet, the only thing that seemed to be out of place.

He set the clothes on the bed, and knelt on the floor, pulling the briefcase out. He didn't remember it, for some reason. He flipped the latches, and pulled the top up, and for a single, long moment, forgot how to breathe.

Inside lay five vials containing a dark liquid. They were set into a foam holder, and each capped with a wax ring to prevent tampering until use. He had absolutely no idea how he had gotten these, but he knew exactly what they were, and how they were used...

These were vials from Cauldron, specifically formulated to give people powers. Ingest a vial, become a cape. Certain vials would give certain types of powers, but none of the five vials he had were labeled. He stared at them, kneeling on the floor for a long moment, then immediately decided that these were far too valuable to be left here, in this house. He closed and locked the briefcase, even spinning the little dial on the number lock, sealing it shut. He picked it up, gathered the clothes he had come to get, and went back into the main room, finding his bag on the kitchen counter. He stuffed it full of clothes, and slung it on his back, and headed out the door, briefcase in hand.

His return trip was faster than his trip there. He walked quickly, and the streets were nearly empty by this point in time, so he didn't have to wait at many intersections, breaking into a slight jog occasionally as he hurried back to his apartment. He wasn't sure what to do with the vials just yet. Should he lock them in the apartment, or give them to Brian, or someone else? Maybe turn them over to their new allies within New Wave? He decided that he would have to think on it, maybe speak with someone about it, and for the moment went straight back to his own place, and tucked the briefcase into the back of his closet, and hid it behind some other things, so it was completely out of sight. He sat on the edge of his bed then, staring at the closet door for a long time, trying to decide what was the right thing to do.

* * * * * * *

The next day came, and Warren was still no closer to deciding what to do with the vials than when he had brought them back with him. He pushed them to the back of his mind and got up, getting into the shower. It was almost weird seeing his wolf form again, after so long with the projector on and active. He cleaned and redressed quickly, hooked the projector back on his belt, and thumbed it back on. The air around him seemed to shimmer for a second, then he was looking down at his “human” form as he was beginning to think of it, the projected image wrapped around him completely.

He went out and found Brian just coming out of his own apartment as well. “Hey. Was just coming to gather everyone, think we should probably have a small meeting, see how everyone is adjusting.”

Warren nodded. Brian knocked on Taylor's door, but there was still no response. “Maybe she's with the girls, still,” Warren mused.

Brian frowned, but nodded. “Perhaps. Let's head up.” They went to the elevator and pressed the call button. It opened to reveal the three girls themselves, all dressed up, giggling about some joke, though Taylor jerked when she saw Brian and Warren, with a small “oh!”

“Hey. Figured you guys were about to come look for us,” Lisa said with a wink. “Come on, let's go get Alec and Rachel.”

They stepped in, and went down. Alec was still asleep, apparently, so Lisa and Kelsey hung back to pound on his door until he finally opened it while the rest went to gather Bitch and meet them outside. Once they were all there, they took a short walk to a nearby park, and sat around one of the picnic tables while Brian fetched some donuts and coffee with Taylor at a nearby shop.

When they came back, they passed out the drinks and treats, and everyone had a seat.

“So, how is everyone faring so far?” Brian asked.

Lisa grinned. “No complaints here. Had a nice day, shopping, decorating the place... of course, our apartment is already a disaster zone.” She nudged Kelsey, who flushed.

“Is not,” she muttered. “Just... just the one corner. I wanted build stuff. For New Wave.”

“Like what?” Warren asked.

She glanced at him. “Ear pieces, to link to ours. Same parameters. I also had to enhance my VI's range and capabilities. And I think I finally pinned down how to enlarge the self-sustaining power source I rigged for your projector, and make it power my suit, rather than the charge system. It'll save space too,” she said, and looked like she was going to go on, but Lisa laid a hand on her arm, and she flushed again as she fell silent.

“It's a good way of bringing them into the fold, showing them that we're serious, and have something to offer. I like it,” Brian said with a nod. “Does anyone have any concerns?”

Kelsey fidgeted and then sighed. “I guess I do. I have to tell them, eventually... about Dragon, and what I did. But I'm afraid if I'm open about it, they'll either turn me over or kick me out.”

“What you did was several years ago,” Taylor said quickly. “They can't hold you accountable now. You've changed.”

“I still did it,” Kelsey said with a little shrug. “And about... Bakuda...”

Lisa shook her head. “That, they won't blame you one bit on. They might be a little upset about the situation with Dragon, I'm not entirely sure. But they're not going to kick you out.”

“Are you sure?” Kelsey asked, looking into her eyes. It was obvious to Warren she was looking to her power for reassurance.

“Positive.” Lisa smiled. Kelsey nodded, seeming to accept it. Warren wondered if he should bring up the vials at that point in time, but something kept him quiet, not mentioning it yet. Perhaps they would have a use later on, and he could produce them then. Of course, that might present unpleasant questions, but at the same time, telling them now might lead to waste... he kept quiet as Brian asked if there was anything else.

About that time, two figures floated out of the sky, and landed nearby. Glory Girl and Lady Photon, in full costume. They walked up to the table, quickly noting the few stares they were drawing, and slipped a bag into Brian's hands.

“New phones, for everyone. Pre-programmed with all of our numbers. We've added yours to ours, and put a name on each box, just for simplicity. Hope you don't mind,” Glory Girl said.

Brian shook his head. “Not at all. Thanks.”

“Hey... can... can I have a word?” Kelsey said, standing up. She glanced around the table. “In private. Not that they don't know, cause everyone here does.. it's just... easier...”

“Shh. We understand,” Lisa poked her, and Kelsey shot her a grateful smile while Kelsey and Glory Girl stepped to the side, sitting on the grass cross-legged before one another. Warren watched them curiously. Sitting together like that, they looked for all the world like a pair of sisters. He felt his heart go out to Kelsey. He knew something of her personal life before, and how alone she had been in the grand scheme of things. She was latching on to all of these different figures and individuals, perhaps even in ways she herself did not fully understand yet, reaching out to form these bonds that had been missing her entire life. Finding herself in a situation where she was, beyond the shadow of any doubt, not only adorable but a pretty girl, she was thriving with the contact and affection she was drawing from those around her.

Kelsey plucked some grass, and he could see her mouth moving, though he couldn't make out the words. Glory Girl watched her, calmly, a little smile on her face. She shook her head a couple times, and when they stood, Kelsey paused a moment, then threw her arms around the older girl, giving her a fierce hug. Glory Girl laughed and patted her back, and brought her back, then the pair took off again, arching into the sky. Warren watched them go, itching to join them, to do something, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Alexandria.

He... was... Alexandria. He had all the powers she had, and she had the power of flight. She was near invincible, but could still get hurt. He had only been hurt by major impacts, things that would have killed others. And he could heal himself. He was better than Alexandria. He stood up, and concentrated for a moment, imaging himself flying, floating, and felt the air shift around him, a new.... _something_ in his mind that he could tap into, control. And then, just like that, he was floating a few inches off the ground, hovering in midair.

Startled, he fell back to the ground. No one else had noticed, but he grinned widely to himself.

He could FLY.

They were only about five steps away from the picnic table when Lisa froze. “Oh shit.”

Everyone turned to look at her. “What's wrong?” Brian asked.

“Wards. They're coming. Now.”

“How? Why?” Taylor asked. “Aren't on their side now?”

Lisa shook her head. “I don't know, I just... I know they're coming. Bitch, go ahead of us, get your dogs. Make 'em big, and try to get someplace there's not a lot of people. We'll catch up with you.”

Bitch nodded, and took off at a run. The rest did indeed hurry after, sprinting into the apartments and getting costumes on as quick as possible, then getting out of the building, piling into one of the vans which was still outside, and taking off.

Kelsey was busy in the back, putting something together as quickly as she could while Grue drove quickly towards the docks. It was the best idea they'd had, and he knew Bitch was heading that way from her periodic updates via the earpieces. Kelsey had apparently boosted the range on her VI to blanket nearly the entire city. Once again, Warren caught himself marveling at her tinker skills.

“HEY! Watch the bumps!” Kelsey cried as the hit a pothole, sending a screwdriver with some.... well. Something wrapped around the handle which was spitting sparks and humming flying out of her hands. She scrambled to pick it up, then turned her attention back to the project in her lap, holding it up triumphantly a few moments later, laying the screwdriver aside and thumbing a switch on the bottom off, so it stopped spitting sparks. He had no clue what she had changed the screwdriver into, and frankly... didn't want to know.

“What is it?” Taylor asked, eyeing the device in her hands.

“I was watching Flashbang the other day, and I thought 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool to just... shoot those things?' so... I built this. It shoots... those things.”

“White... balls?” Taylor asked, as she pulled her mask on.

“Ball shooter,” Regent said, snickering. “Twilight built us a ball shooter... epic.”

Twilight shot him a glare as she pulled her glasses off, and tucked them under a seat with her screwdriver, then pulled her visor on. A click sounded in Warren's ear as she powered on the suit, and the earpieces linked up immediately. She glanced around. “Sound check?”

“All clear,” Brian replied from the front. “Sorry about the potholes, but we're here.”

They piled out of the van, and Brian drove it into an alley before hopping out himself and walking back. Bitch was in the middle of the street, her three dogs huge, standing behind her in a semi-circle.

The rest spread out across the empty street. It was odd, and inspiring to see the difference. A few days ago, the Undersiders standing across the street would have been a sign of confusion, of being caught unaware. This time, they were the picture of ready, standing tall and proud as two PRT vans came to a screeching halt before them. Then the suit showed up. It roared overhead, twisting and landing behind them, the force of it's impact cracking the street and kicking up a little shockwave. Wards hopped out of the vans first, moving into a defensive line before the PRT soldiers themselves, who were packing containment foam canisters on their backs.

“ _Undersiders. You are all under arrest. Stand down immediately.”_ The suit announced.

Twilight twisted to face it. “Dragon.”

A figure swung off the building nearby, and landed smoothly in front of the suit, his halberd in hand. “Armsmaster,” Warren growled. Behind them, Kid Win, Clockblocker, Vista, Gallant, and Aegis were spread out, closing off any escape routes.

“Perhaps you guys haven't heard yet,” Tattletale shouted out. “But we're on your side. We've joined with the—”

“ _False. Stand down.”_

“She wants me,” Twilight said, stepping forward. She gripped her new device tightly in her hand. “Don't you? That's why you're here. You finally found me. Only took you... what... four years, to find a little girl?”

“ _Stand down, or measures will be taken.”_

“You're bound by rules of engagement, just like every law enforcement officer here!” Tattletale yelled at the mech suit. “We've done nothing wrong. You haven't caught us breaking any laws. And as I was saying, we've joined New Wave. We're on your side.”

Some of the Wards shifted, glancing at one another.

Warren glanced upwards, and saw a hazy cloud gathering above each of the buildings. Skitter, building her swarms, summoning in masses of insects.

“We don't want to fight you,” Tattletale continued. “We won't, unless pressed to defend ourselves!”

“Shut up,” Armsmaster growled, and pointed his halberd at her. The end rocketed off, like an iron fist rocketing straight at her. Warren leapt into the way, moving with the speed only his power could grant him, grabbing the chain with both hands and yanking it, pulling Armsmaster off balance.

It was the trigger, the catalyst that unleashed the violence.

Bitch growled and whistled, her dogs leaping into action as Kid Win whipped out dual pistols and began firing, sending several blasts at Bitch and Skitter. Skitter retaliated by dropping a partial swarm on Clockblocker as he ran forward, angling to catch one of Bitch's dogs, freeze it and put it out of the fight. The dog leapt back as Bitch's whistle changed pitch, going from charge to retreat in half a second. Clockblocker froze several insects, creating a wall accidentally and tried to turn from it to find more and more insects descending on him, crawling over his face, up his sleeves. He panicked, and did the only thing he could—he froze himself. One down.

Warren turned as one of the dogs ran over Gallant, picking him up and tossing him aside like a ragdoll. Aegis flew over one of the dogs, and landed behind it, only to not see the third coming at him like a freight train, and went down under it as it ran him over. Skitter's bugs were swarming both Gallant and Aegis even as they dealt with the dogs, hindering their abilities, containing them.

Warren turned back, yanking on Armsmaster's chain again, pulling him forward. The man reversed his grip, planting his feet, and pulled back, cementing himself in place. Warren let go, letting the chain retract, and lifted off the ground, hurling himself at Armsmaster. His eyes widened behind his mask, and he twisted out of the way, but only just.

Dragon and Twilight were having their own showdown, addressing one another, but he didn't have the time or attention to spare to find out what she was saying. Armsmaster flung the halberd forward, a grappling hook shooting out and wrapping around Warren's legs, crashing him to the ground. Darkness engulfed Armmaster's head for a moment, but the man moved out of it as Grue tried to keep Vista in the darkness as well, not allowing her to get a good look at the field, or have a chance to move anything about. Morkulv shot into the sky, the projector turning off as he did so, yanking Armsmaster off his feet, dragging him upwards as well. The man cried out in surprise as they flew above the buildings, up through Skitter's hovering swarms.

A couple hundred feet above the ground, the grappling hook released his legs, and Morkulv stopped, hovering as he watched Armsmaster's momentum carry him upwards, slowing as gravity began to reassert control over him, then he twisted as he began to fall, throwing his halberd to the side, the hook latching onto the lip of a building, swinging him clear of his deadly fall. Morkulv shot after him, slamming into his back a few feet above the next building, and slammed him into the rooftop. The halberd bounced out of his hand, and Morkulv kicked it over the edge of the building, then turned. Armsmaster pulled himself to his feet with the aid of the halberd, back in his hand.

_Fucking tinkers,_ he thought to himself, and summoned his weapons, his two maces. The two squared off, then went at one another, attack and parry, counter and dodge, slice and smash. They danced back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand, neither giving ground.

Below, Bitch, Skitter, and Grue had the Wards mostly in hand, contained and pushing them back. The PRT soldiers had fallen back under the onslaught of Skitter's bugs, and the Wards were doing the same. Tattle was walking among them, warning them not to go all out, not to hurt anyone more than was absolutely necessary. They were trying to hold them off, not beat them.

Twilight and Dragon were still facing off, on their own.

Morkulv finally caught an opening in Armsmaster's attack, using one mace to slam his halberd to the side, and smashed his side with his other. He was hitting harder and harder, and made contact more than he fully realized, sending the man bouncing across the rooftop, into the wall at the edge of the roof. Armsmaster groaned as he got to his feet, trying to fly away, shooting his halberd again. Once again Morkulv shot out, catching the chain and swinging it back into the same building, so Armsmaster ended up swinging not away, but into the wall, smacking into the brick with enough force to shatter a window and crack some of the bricks themselves. He dropped a ways, before he was able to gather his senses, and shot out another hook, catching the neighboring building and swinging to a balcony. Morkulv followed, landing in front of him.

“Why did you come after us?!” Morkulv barked.

Armsmaster didn't reply, but tried a different tactic, swinging his weapon in reverse and kicking out the punch-like attachment he had sent at Tattletale. It caught Morkulv in the chest, turning him in half a circle. He brought both hands up, and caught the chain, and pulled, breaking the chain into bits and pieces, and threw the attachment over the balcony's edge. It clattered to the street below.

“Why?” Morkulv demanded again. “We're on your goddamn side!”

“You're criminals. Villains.” Armsmaster sneered. “No better than dogs.”

Morkulv backhanded him, felt his mask crunch under the blow. He kicked him in the stomach, dropping him to his knees, then kicked him again, flipping him over onto his back, and reached down, grabbing his belt and his neck, and lifted him, slamming him into the wall. Dust and brick particles rained down on his suit as Morkulv slammed him into the wall again, knocking the sense and fight from the man, then carried him back to the roof, dropping him. He grabbed his halberd, and bent it in half, then crushed the ends, warping it all out of shape.

“Stay put,” he growled, and jumped off the other side of the building. He landed lightly next to Tattletale.

She gave him an appraising glance. “Armsmaster still alive?”

“Better be. I didn't do anything lethal.”

“You keep surprising us,” she murmured, and looked over her shoulder at Twilight. “Let's hope she does too.”

* * * * * * *

I stared at Dragon's suit as it landed, and felt a cold chill roll through me. This... this entire thing was entirely my fault. My mind flickered back to the talk with Glory Girl...

“ _I have... something important to tell you. I wanted to tell you, earlier, but I was afraid. Of what you'd think, what you'd do.”_

“ _You're a part of us now. Whatever it is, we can handle it, I promise,” Glory Girl said, giving me her winning smile._

“ _I... okay. When I was younger, I had my trigger event locked in a basement, basically. I became a tinker. I was surrounded with electronics, and I grounded myself in them because I was panicking, and when I came out of it, I was... well, what I am now. I didn't really realize at the time what had happened. But not long after that, I was with my dad, at his work, and I was bored, playing on one of the computers. I realized as I was looking at a webpage that I could... see, and feel, the code behind the webpage itself. I understood, on a very basic level, how it worked. Everything just made sense. I was looking at one of those fake bait websites, you know the ones, where they lure in wanna-be villains and then bust them for trying to purchase stuff?” Glory Girl nodded. “So I decided... that wasn't really fair, is it. It's all a set up, cause the people buying this stuff could be trying to do good, too. How are the website operators supposed to know? So... I um... hacked the website. Only, once I was in, I noticed immediately there was someone working against me. I just kind of, Iunno... lost myself in what I was doing, and kept the hack going, went deeper. I wasn't really after anything, not specifically. I wasn't doing it maliciously, and I didn't have any motives other than it was fun, seeing what I could do. I was like... six. I had no real understanding of what I was doing.”_

“ _I understand. It's okay.” Glory Girl smiled at me again. “But go on. What happened?”_

“ _So... well. As I kept going, I realized what I was going against wasn't an actual person. Things were happening too fast. Instantly. I couldn't keep up, so I altered the approach I was taking. I... discovered something. A program, immense. It's code was so complex, so deep... it detected I was within it, now, and doubled it's efforts. I downloaded a huge selection of files before it was able to cut me out. And when it did, I saw a name...”_

_I paused, and Glory Girl frowned for the first time. “What was it?”_

“ _Dragon. The program... was Dragon. You know, the world famous tinker? Designer of the Birdcage? She's not... a she. She's an it. A program. A complex AI.” I trailed off again. “I sold some of the information later. Because the PRT raided the shop. My dad was fired. They never pinned me for it, she never caught me, but she's been looking for me ever since, cause I know, I know the dirty little secret behind the greatest Tinker... that she's not a person, just a program.”_

_Glory Girl paused for a moment, and drew a deep breath, and smiled. “It's okay. You were a kid. You weren't acting for selfish gain, or trying to hurt anyone. I'm not sure about Dragon being an AI, but that's something we can look into, handle if it comes up. Don't worry about it, okay?”_

_I looked up at her. “Are you sure? No one is going to hate me for it? Do you know what happened when we fought against Bakuda?”_

_Glory Girl smiled again. “Yes. We were part of the first responders on the scene. I saw what happened. Believe it or not, Bakuda was actually recording the confrontation. I believed she planned to use the recording to intimidate others into her fold, but when we found it instead, we saw how you defended the group. You have some impressive powers.”_

“ _But... I killed her...”_

“ _And she was trying to kill you. I'm sure you've been told this already, but you didn't do that, she did it to herself. You were just trying to protect the ones you cared about, and you did. That's why you're here, that's why you're a member of New Wave now.”_

_I smiled at that, and we stood, and I gave her a fierce hug. She laughed slightly, and rubbed my back. I'd never felt more at home..._

As everything around me erupted into violence, I felt a cold resolve settle over me. I saw the suit preparing to launch, to join in the fight, and called out. “Dragon! It's me you want. I'm the one that hacked that website, so many years ago. I'm right here.”

The suit turned and oriented towards me. I wasn't really sure what I could do against it, but whispered to my VI, “KC... scan the suit. Mute my microphone. I don't want to disturb the others. They need to focus, not listen to me talk. If there are any wireless accesses, scan for passcodes, but make it subtle.”

[Affirmative.]

“ _You are under arrest. You are in possession of highly sensitive information that can be used against the PRT. Stand down.”_

“You're awfully fond of that phrase, stand down. I haven't stood up to you. I haven't resisted. I haven't done anything wrong! I was a kid, playing on her dad's computer, not knowing what she was doing. So I downloaded some files. Whoops. I had recently gone through a rather traumatic experience and I had a whole new side of myself that wasn't making sense. Instead of reacting negatively and trying to arrest me you should have invited me in and guided me. Think of everything we could have built, working together. Think of what we could have accomplished. How many other Tinkers in the world have ever successfully hacked your systems? How many others have ever beaten you within yourself?”

The suit remained quiet. A red orb, which eerily reminded me of some type of monstrous eye, studied me.  _“If you had been interested in such a partnership, you would have come forward.”_

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. “I was six years old! I was a kid, and you raided my dad's workplace, arrested everyone and took him away. I was scared shitless of you. You intimidated me and tried to find me by killing me immediately. Why would anyone come to you after that? I've hid from you for four years, and not done a single thing. Now... I'm done hiding. We're good guys. You should be thanking me. I joined this group and helped them turn around. Now, instead of losing themselves in petty crime and sinking to the level of other groups such as the ABB, we're doing good. We're helping people. And you're still going to try to arrest me!”

“ _Deals can always be made in better locations. This is not the place to have this conversation.”_

“This is the only place to have this conversation!” I retorted. “Look around you! We're winning! We've got the Wards on retreat, Armsmaster is up in the sky somewhere, and you're realizing that this entire time, you've been _wrong._ And that's absolutely the best part. You've been chasing someone you thought was a hardened criminal, and it turns out it was a scared little girl, that's tired of being scared, and is standing up to you!”

I stepped closer. [Wireless access granted. Total system control established in 30 seconds.]

“Get to five and pause,” I whispered, then pointed at Dragon. “You have no idea what I can do. What I have done. You're an AI, and limited by your programming, and I'm the only Tinker in the world that has broken your code, found out how you work, and what you do. You are inferior to me. But I could have made you better, we could have worked hand in hand. Instead, for this, for attacking my friends, for everything you've done to me over the past several years, I think instead I'll turn my back on you. You're obsolete, Dragon.” I turned away.

“ _Wait. What you say may have some validity, but it does not excuse your criminal actions. You are still under arrest. We will detain you and ascertain a proper truth of the situation at PRT HQ.”_

“Finish countdown, take control,” I whispered, then turned back to Dragon. “It's too late for that. That suit... it's mine now.”

The suit started to rise, then suddenly settled to the ground, peacefully. [Control established.]

“Override base code, remove Dragon's presence from the software entirely. Overwrite with subroutines. Overlay in simple voice command, programmed to KC and Twilight.”

[Affirmative.]

Just like that... Dragon had lost her another suit, and I had a whole new container to play with.

“Do the schematics offer a cockpit, any type of interior controls?”

[Affirmative. Controls appear to mainly decorative. Dragon's programming would simulate a pilot within the unmanned craft.]

“Open hatch, can we program the controls to be effective?”

[Affirmative. Doing so now.]

“Excellent. Unmute microphone.”

The earpiece clicked, confirming I could now speak to the others, and I climbed into the suit quickly, shutting the hatch. The control panels around me began to come alive, and I could hear the slight hum of the engine compartment behind my back. I made a mental note to break down the schematics of the suit later, when I had more time, to try to perhaps replicate this on my own, or at least build something similar. “KC... download full schematics. I want to be able to review later.”

[Affirmative.]

Then, running my hands over the controls, I closed my eyes, focusing on what I could feel, and identify through each stick, each control yoke. It was intuitive, and simple. I powered up the flight, hovering just off the ground, and moved to just behind where the Undersiders were gathered. I flipped open the same loudspeaker Dragon had spoke to me through. “Wards, stand down. We are not your enemies.”

I saw Tattle, Morkulv, Skitter, and Regent all looking up me in some level of shock and surprise. Grue looked at me, shook his head, but I could feel his smile even through the layers that separated me from seeing it. “We are New Wave. I repeat, Wards, stand down.”

* * * * * * *

Warren stood to the side as PRT officers, Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, and most of the New Wave met in the center of the street, where the Wards had fallen back after their brief encounter with the Undersiders. Armsmaster had been retrieved from the top of the building and carried down, and was receiving medical attention in the back of an ambulance. He had been the only person to be seriously hurt, and even the Wards just... didn't seem to mind, keeping their distance from the ambulance. Vista was sitting by herself, scratching a couple of bites on her neck, looking a little dejected. Clockblocker and Kid Win were sitting together on the back of a van, glaring in the general direction of Skitter. She seemed oblivious to it, watching the New Wave and PRT members all talking in the center of the street.

Tattle was sitting with Twilight, the Dragon suit sitting dormant behind the both of them. He still didn't quite understand how Twilight had taken it, though she had explained it, in her terms “briefly” after hopping out. Something to do with overwriting layers of programming through a wireless access port that she was able to use to cut the signal Dragon was sending using KC to invade the systems.

Basically, what Morkulv came away understanding was that she had hijacked it out from under Dragon's nose. He grinned at that, and stepped closer to the meeting.

“They're criminals, you can't just do this without asking!” Battery was protesting. She seemed agitated, glaring at the Wards and Undersiders by turns.

“We're not a member of your Protectorate, so technically we can,” Flashbang responded coolly. “We extended our hand in friendship to them, and they've accepted it. They've never committed any major crimes.”

“With the exception of the bank heist recently,” Miss Militia pointed out. “A bank heist which your daughters were both involved with. It surprises me that it has slipped your mind.”

“It hasn't, and it's included. The heist was relatively minor. A few thousand dollars stolen, and the majority of the property damage was caused by Kid Win.” He glanced in the direction of the Wards' tinker. “Let us not forget, it was he who fired on the Undersiders, knowing they had hostages. Hostages who were never harmed, thankfully.”

“And it was because of that heist that we were introduced to a couple of their members,” Glory Girl put in. “If you want to sentence them with some type of community service, I'm sure arrangements can be made, but you're not arresting them. They're a part of us now.”

“And if it came down to it, would you fight for them?” Miss Militia demanded.

“It would appear, the fighting has already been done, as your 'leader' and Dragon ordered the strike without anyone else's knowledge. They attacked unprovoked. Even the Wards admit the Undersiders weren't making any hostile moves when Armsmaster attacked them.” Lady Photon said smoothly. “If anything, this comes back negatively on the PRT. Dragon and Armsmaster acted outside of the command chain and violated the trust placed in them by us, the people. They attacked allies, unprovoked, that were pleading for peace.”

“Doesn't look like peace, when you see what they did to Armsmaster. And look at the Wards!” Miss Militia waved a hand at them.

“So they got bit by some mosquitoes. Be glad it wasn't anything poisonous,” Glory Girl said dismissively. “The only thing really hurt here is their pride. Their entire team was held at bay by bugs and three dogs, and spots of darkness.”

“There's one way this ends peacefully,” said Piggot, as she limped into the scene, holding a folder in her hands. “Well, two ways, I suppose. The first, preferred, way, is that the New Wave accepts a new member from the Wards to monitor and report directly to the PRT on their actions. This individual would not be subject to normal New Wave rules, but operate with you on all missions and responses. The second way is that New Wave in its entirely joins the PRT, Undersiders included.”

Lady Photon shook her head. “Second way is not happening. It's not that we disagree with your methods, it's that we feel the PRT is not the solution. You know our stance on this.”

Piggot nodded. “You're right, I do, and I have little interest in hearing it again. That leaves you with option number one.”

“You want to place a spy amongst the Undersiders to ascertain the validity of their conversion. Be honest about it,” Laserdream said, bluntly.

Piggot stared for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. Yes, that is what I wish. A member of the Wards of my choosing to be with the Undersiders.” She smiled. “As a spy, as you so eloquently put it.”

“I do hope we get a say in that,” Tattletale said, stepping up next to to Morkulv.

Lady Photon nodded. “Of course. As it's you she wishes to spy on, the decision would ultimately be yours to make.”

Tattletale smiled. “Thanks. So, if we reject this offer, what then? Do we fight, here and now, kill one another? Empty the city of heroes, to fight heroes, and let the ABB bounce back, take over half the city while the E88 devours the other half? Or, do we let new, upcoming villains walk in and take the city? Hmm? Your proposition is so poorly chosen I'm not even sure if you thought about it before you made it, Piggot.” Tattletale shook her head, almost sadly. “As it so happens, we would love to have a member of the Wards join us, to, as you put it, ascertain the validity of our conversion.” She nodded to Laserdream, who smiled slightly.

Piggot started. “You... would?”

Tattletale nodded. “Absolutely. We have nothing to hide. We're sincere in our joining forces with the New Wave. So, go ahead, pick your Ward, send them over.”

Piggot nodded, and turned to the Wards. “Vista. Come here, please.”

The young girl walked over, looking up at the assembled group. “Yes?”

“You have been reassigned. You will be joining the Undersiders, indefinitely. You will remain, in all applications, a member of the Wards, but you will operate with your new allies, and report frequently back to myself. Is that understood?”

Vista nodded, staring at the Undersiders, eyes wide. “Yes, ma'am.”

“I suppose that ends that,” Flashbang said. “But what will be done about Dragon and Armsmaster?”

Twilight stepped forward. Glory Girl cut her off subtly. “I can give back the suit,” Twilight whispered to Glory Girl, but she shook her head briefly, and motioned for her to wait.

Piggot looked at the suit hanging out behind the cluster of capes. “It seems Dragon has had her toy taken away from her. I will speak with other directors, and come up with a suitable restriction for her as punishment. As for Armsmaster... we will have to discuss that, once he heals.”

“How serious are his injuries?” Morkulv asked.

Piggot's eyes shot to him. Cold, calculating. “Extensive. Broken ribs. Spinal trauma. Cracked shoulder blades. You were not easy on him.”

“He wouldn't have been easy on any one of us. If his first blow had hit Tattle, she may very well be laying in her own blood, torn in half,” he retorted. Twilight and Tattle both shivered, and even Skitter shifted, uncomfortable with that thought.

Piggot nodded. “That may be. He will recover.”

“I'll make you an offer,” Morkulv said quickly. Piggot blinked. “I'll heal Armsmaster, completely. Right now. I have that power. But in return, you get him as far away from Brockton Bay as you possibly can.”

Piggot blinked, then nodded. “Very well. You have yourself an agreement... Morkulv, isn't it?”

He nodded, and walked over to the ambulance. The crew were busy taking his vitals, and he was strapped down to a board. His eyes went wide as he saw Morkulv looming over him.

“Sir, you need to leave,” said one of the paramedics, watching Armsmaster's heart rate rise on the monitor.

“I'm here to help,” Morkulv growled, and knelt by his head, and reached out, placing his palms on either side of his head, closing his eyes. It was still weird, this feeling, the sensation that opened in his mind, the sense of the other's biology, of what they were doing, going through. He overlaid a map of how things should be over what was in his mind, and set to restoring and fixing the damage throughout Armsmaster's body. A few moments later, he let go, and stood up. “I made him sleep. He'll probably sleep for about ten hours, but when he wakes, he'll be perfectly fine,” he said, and rose, walking out of the ambulance. He looked directly at Piggot. “My end has been upheld. See to it you hold up yours.”

Piggot nodded, and limped away. Miss Militia stepped over in front of him, her eyes a little wary. “You healed him?”

Morkulv nodded. “I did.” And then, he couldn't resist it. He reached out, and laid his power over her, subtly.

Her eyes widened slightly, and he saw the familiar spark of interest appear in her eyes. “Thank you. He's... well. He's a comrade. I would hate to see him suffer.”

Morkulv nodded. He reached down, and thumbed his projector on, wrapping himself again in his human projection. “Is this... easier to look at?”

Miss Militia shrugged. “I didn't mind the other. Power has it's own allure.” She bit her lip slightly, then winked at him as she turned away. He watched her bottom sway as she walked away. _Damn... that girl..._ he would have her soon, he decided.

* * * * * * *

Back in his apartment, he was reclining on his couch, watching some random sitcom on TV, when there was a soft knock at his door. He stood, and walked over, opening it. Amy stood on the side, dressed in a white V-neck sweater that came a little short of the waistband of her black leggings, exposing about an inch of her pale skin. Her hair was pulled back into a bouncy ponytail, and she offered him a little smile. “May I come in?” she asked softly. Warren nodded, and stepped back, letting her inside. She stepped in, and walked over to the couch. He followed her, admiring the shape of her bottom and her legs inside of her tight leggings. Once again, he offered up a silent thank you to whomever had invented yoga pants.

“How's things?” he asked, waving her to take a seat. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Juice? Or water,” she said, with a little smile. He grabbed a bottle of water from his fridge, and walked over to the couch, handing it to her. She snapped it open, took a long drink, and set it aside. “Thanks. Things are good. There was some concern earlier, but I think it's handled. Do you think things will be okay, with Vista joining the group?”

He nodded. “I don't see any issues coming of it.”

She nodded, smiling, and then turned to him. “I had one other question...”

“Ask away.”

“Before... you... you didn't want me to touch you. You said you didn't trust me yet, but earlier, Glory Girl said you healed Armsmaster like I could have. Do.. you trust me enough to let me now?”

He nodded. “Sure.” She reached over, and took her hand in his. At the same time that she was looking at him, he was looking at her. She was the picture of perfect health, which was slightly ironic, given the fact she couldn't heal herself. Her eyes widened as she looked through his biology.

“Oh... wow,” she said after a moment. “I can almost... almost, distinguish the difference between your powers and the rest of you, like... and I'm not going to, please please don't think I would, but I feel like if I tweaked just the right thing, I would be able to change your form back to human, permanently... but I'm not sure. It's so... unusual. I'm not positive on what it is I'm feeling.” She let his hand slip out of hers, but it came to rest on her thigh. She stared at it for a moment, then a flush crept up her cheeks. He gave her leg a gentle squeeze. “I... I thought it was my sister you liked?” she murmured softly.

“And I recall telling you that you are a beautiful girl, and giving you a rather intimate lick, once,” he replied softly, his voice barely above a growl.

She exhaled softly, and his tongue traced the contours of her ear, dipping inside, working around it, nipping her earlobe gently with his teeth, making her jump slightly. “I-I... uh... I have to be honest,” she stammered, as his fingers gently squeezed and pulled her legs, opening them slightly, his fingers sliding down over her inner thigh... “I... I um... usually... think about girls, doing this. But... it's not... not going to take me long to cum.”

He grinned, and squeezed her thigh. “Good,” he muttered in her ear. “I'll make you cum a lot.”

She shivered slightly, and he slipped around in front of her, and pushed her legs open, crawling between them, and pulling her to the edge of the couch. She rested her arms on his shoulders, looking down at him, biting her lip as he licked her neck, traced the edge of her V-neck, then reached down and pulled the sweater over her head in one quick motion. She was wearing a soft pink bra underneath, cupping her generous breasts. They weren't large, nor were they small. They were perky, and as far as Warren was concerned... absolutely perfect. He ran his tongue over the swell of her breasts, tracing the edge of her bra, and she shivered again, arching her back, pressing her chest forwards subtly. He grinned to himself, and ran both hands down her sides, cupping her small bottom, and then dragged his fingers down her legs lightly, then pushed her legs up and together, pointed at the ceiling. He reached under her, and pulled her leggings down, peeling them down her slender, toned legs, knocking her shoes off and then casting them to the side. She was only in a small pink thong under them, and lay before him only in her bra and panties now. He pressed her legs back open and lay between them, leaning over her to lick her lips before sticking his tongue in her mouth. She gasped and whimpered softly as his tongue gently explored her mouth, then pulled back, and licked his way back to her breasts, squeezing one in each hand, massaging the tender mounds. She groaned and pressed up against him, and then he was rolling her over.

His lust was skyrocketing as he played and toyed with her body. The fight had worked his blood into a boil, and now it begged for a release. He rolled her over onto her belly, and pulled her hips off the couch, putting them on the ground, and spread them, pulling her thong to the side with one finger, exposing her soft pink slit, the tender flesh within. He buried his nose between her legs, pushing his long tongue up inside of her, curling and flexing it. Her mouth fell open, and she clenched at the sudden, extreme sensation coursing through her, moaning, her hips jerking reflexively back against him. He twirled and drove his tongue in deeper, feeling her clench and pant, then reached under her, and very carefully, with the pad of one finger, pressed her clit, rolling it in a small circle. She cried out as she came, suddenly and forcefully, her cum flooding into his mouth, filling it with her sweet-tasting nectar. He groaned and straightened behind her, holding her little pink thong out of the way with his thumb as he undid his pants, letting his cock free, and rubbed it against her slit, getting it nice and wet with her juices before pushing it into her.

She groaned as his cock stretched her pussy, filling her completely, pushing its way slowly into her tight little hole, making her groan as he did. She rolled her hips backwards against him, trying to get him to slide into her faster, and he took the hint, drawing back slightly, then pushing into her hard, slamming his cock to the hilt up inside of her. She cried out weakly and pushed back against him harder, and he began to move, sliding his cock in and out of her wet body sheathe, holding her around the waist with one hand and gripping her bottom with the other, staring down at the curvature of her waist and back, the flare of her hips and her netherlips spread lewdly around the the base of his cock as he pressed into her, bottoming out with every thrust.

“Oh God, fuck me,” she moaned, and he rocked her harder, slamming his hips back and forth, pulling out till only the very tip remained nestled against her slippery opening, then jamming the whole length back inside with a hard thrust, making her grunt and pant, whimper and moan, rolling her hips as she came again, and again, her cum soaking his cock, rolling down her thighs...

“I'm gonna cum,” he growled after a bit, still rocking her harder and harder. She twisted as she pulled off of him suddenly, landing on her bottom at his feet, her mouth opening... He groaned as his cock, deprived of her tight, wet, hot pussy found instead her hot, wet mouth, and buried itself inside of her. She moaned around his cock as he pushed into her throat and came, unable to hold back a single second more, his cum boiling up and out of him in hard, long spurts, straight down her little throat into her belly.

As the force of his orgasm subsided, he fell back, and she smirked at him, wiping a drop of his cum fro the corner of her mouth and sucking her finger clean.

“That... was fun,” she said.

He couldn't possibly agree more.

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Um.... what are you doing?”

I glanced back at Lisa, who had just walked in, a couple bags in her hands. I supposed it did look a little... unusual. I was hanging half out of the window, bracing myself each side with my feet, bent over at the waist as I ran a strip across the bottom of the window. I glanced down, at the ground way, way... way far away. “Um, trying something new,” I said, straightening, and grabbing the window frame. “I need some place to keep the suit close...”

“And you want to keep it...” Lisa glanced around the apartment, “... here?”

“Um... maybe? I'm not sure yet.” I smiled a little. “I'm running some simulations. My computer was delivered this morning, so I wrote a quick program, and um, I'm seeing if I can integrate the building into the program matrix, so that I can remotely control various aspects of the apartment with it. I know it's been done, to some degree. You know, people have their lights on a touchpad, etc, but I'm trying to take it a step further.”

Lisa stared at me for a moment, then closed the door behind her. “Okay.”

“You're okay with it?”

She nodded. “Just don't blow anything up, okay?”

I smiled widely. “Awesome, cause I'm actually nearly done.”

She laughed. “I'm so glad I approve,” she said, shaking her head slightly.

“I didn't honestly think you'd mind. I didn't have to do any remodeling. Look. These strips I'm installing will control the windows. I will have to install some braces on the ceiling for what I have ultimately planned, maybe cut them into two sections, but. Here. Let me show you.” I jumped down, and took her hand, bringing her over to my computer, and pushed her into the seat, then sat on her lap. Her arms went around my waist, holding me, and I felt my tummy flutter.

“Okay, so. I'm going to install this program on two pads, and have one just inside the doorway when you come in, and the other in our bedroom. They'll be coded so only we will be able to access them, but. Basically, what it does, is control everything in the place. All the appliances...” I was navigating through the menu on my touchscreen monitor, swiping through a panel of options. “So let's say you're in bed, and want to make cookies. You can hit these...” I tapped the oven, and it beeped in the kitchen as it turned on, then a tiny little sorter machine, for lack of a better word, I had put inside the fridge gathered the required cold ingredients, and had them set on the front, ready for collection. “See? And if you change your mind...” I hit cancel, and the oven flipped off, and the sorter machine put everything back. “Or you can do simple stuff, lights, etc...” I flicked all the lights off and on, to show her, “and even the bedroom door..” another press of a button, and the door swung shut, softly, on a little powered spring at the base of the door. “And the ultimate goal is to expand KC's programming, so all we have to do it speak commands, and when it authorizes our vocal patterns, it'll happen.”

I twisted in her lap and looked at her. “Do you like it?”

“Kelsey, I... I don't really know what to say. It's brilliant. You're brilliant.” She kissed my cheek. “But what was that about suits, and the windows?”

“Oh, right. So, I want the windows to open, retract, like a garage door, so I could fly a suit in or out of the apartment directly. Dragon's system in the suit is actually immaculate, self-sustaining energy power source with minimal emissions. Meaning I could take off in the middle of the room, and with the exception of making a hole through whatever I went out of, no damage. Wouldn't even singe the carpet. I think I can replicate the design, as I modify her suit, but it's inconvenient to have to travel away from here, where my stuff is, to work on it. So I want to bring it here, instead. The windows offer a great entry and exit. I was thinking; we should probably check with New Wave, make sure it's okay to upgrade the windows in this apartment to something bullet and shatter proof.”

“You think those upgrades are necessary?”

I shrugged. “I think they're a good precaution. New Wave does the whole.. no secret identity thing, right? So. I, for one, don't care if I don't have a secret identity. I've made money so far being a Tinker, just no one knew who I was. I'm just... me. Twilight.” I smiled. “So I'm okay with that. I don't want to speak for you, but...”

Lisa shrugged. “When we were villains, I wanted to be able to escape that stigmata from time to time, walk around normally. I guess that still has its allure, but I think we should respect what New Wave asks of us. I don't mind just being Tattle.”

“As long as you're _my_ Tattle,” I said, and leaned forward for a kiss. She gave me one, happily.

“Always.” She winked.

“Warren I think will be the same. With his projector, he can change his personal appearance anyway at any time, so I don't think he'll really mind. Rachel already doesn't care, so I don't think that's going to change. Alec, I have no idea about. He's hard to read.”

“Tell me about it,” Tattle muttered.

“And Brian and Taylor... well. I kind of figured they would want to keep their identities separate, but thought that New Wave might not like that. So, I made these, just a bit ago.” I pointed to two new projectors, sitting next to the computer.

Lisa glanced at them. “Jeez. How much did you do while I went shopping?”

“Just that.”

“Just.” She shook her head. “You're... amazing. It boggles my mind how you do this stuff so fast.”

I shrugged and blushed. “It's easy. Comes naturally. But, these would protect Taylor and Brian's real secret identities, and still enable them to go out in public with New Wave unmasked, if they wanted them too. Think they'll like them?”

Lisa nodded. “I'm sure they well.” Her arms around my waist tightened and she gave me a fierce hug. “I brought lunch. And a bunch of decoration stuff.”

I grinned. “Cool, I'm hungry.” I twisted around in her lap, so I was straddling her legs, sitting on her upper thighs, and rested my arms on her shoulders. “But.. I want something else first.”

She quirked an eyebrow at me. “Oh? What's that?”

“You.” I leaned down, and kissed her, pressing my lips against hers for a long moment. “I haven't had you all to myself for a while. It's enough to drive a girl mad with jealousy...” I murmured as I traced kisses across her cheek and around her ear.

“Oh?” she purred. “Jealous of others touching me?”

I nodded into her neck, and sucked on her pale throat.

“Well, you know the solution,” she said softly.

I pulled back slightly, and looked at her, curious. “What's that?”

She smiled. “You know I'm yours, but you've never  _asked_ a certain question...”

I understood what she meant immediately, and smiled. I poked her belly with one finger. “You never asked me earlier. You're older. It's your job.”

“Oh, is that how it works?” she giggled.

I nodded. “Mmmhmm.”

“Alright then. So, Kelsey, do you wanna be my girlfriend?” She rubbed my back with both hands, alternating, one up, one down, then switching.

I pretended to think about it for a moment, tapping my lip with my finger, then smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes I think I very much wanna.”

She laughed, and pulled me in for another kiss, this time her tongue darting out to trace across my lips, which parted for her, allowing her in, my tongue curling around hers, drawing it in further as I sucked on it gently.

When we parted, we were both breathing a little faster, and I could feel the fire building low within me. “For the record,” she whispered, “I was jealous of others touching you, too.”

I grinned, and kissed her again, this time sliding my tongue into her mouth. Her hands ran down my back to my bottom, pulling my skirt up, running under it, across the smooth material of my panties and over my rounded cheeks. I dropped one hand between us to feel the swell of one breast, squeezing it gently through her clothing. “I didn't mind when we shared Taylor... that was a little different. It was nice.” I thought for a moment. “Or Brian. But that one night... was a little much.”

She nodded. “I agree, love. Don't worry. We'll keep it between us.. maybe one other... from now on.”

I grinned, and kissed her again, then slid off her lap, kneeling before her, pushing her legs apart. She was wearing a white skirt over black and pink striped thigh-highs... as I parted her legs, I saw her panties matched the stockings, and flipped her skirt up, rubbing the pale expanse of her thighs exposed between the stockings and panties. She smiled and slid closer to the edge of the chair, taking her skirt in her hand as I kissed along the top edge of her stockings on her right leg, rubbing her thighs with both hands, working down the outside, then under, then brought my hands up the bottom, pushing her legs up, so she braced them on the desk behind me, my lips working along her inner thigh, slowly getting closer to her panties...

I wanted to taste her, and wasted no more time kissing her pussy through the thin cloth, feeling the heat radiating off of her, and dragged my fingernails lightly down the the insides of her thighs, making her shiver as I stuck my tongue out, and traced the slight indentation in the cloth of her slit from top to bottom, going as far down as the chair allowed. Then licking back up, and hooked my fingers in the band, pulling them to the side, kissing her bare skin. She shivered as I licked her, and rubbed her breasts through her clothing as I delved in, licking quick and fast, working her body expertly, manipulating her clit and sticking my tongue up inside of her wet pussy, sucking at her juices, then sliding two fingers inside of her, curling them to hit her G-spot.

She gasped and moaned, rolling her hips, and I upped my onslaught, working her over quickly, making her cum into my mouth once, then twice, sucking her sweet cum up, licking and swirling my tongue around her delicious pussy, working my fingers in and out of her quick and hard, pumping her to a third orgasm. She bit her lip and hissed as she came again, her entire body going rigid and shaking as I sucked and pressed her clit against my teeth lightly before she sagged, completely satiated and limp. I finally let up, licking the last few drops of her sweet cum up, then put her panties back in position, pulled her skirt down, and stood up, licking and sucking my fingers clean while she watched me through hooded eyes.

“You're fantastic,” she muttered, and I giggled, leaning over to give her a kiss.

“Only for you,” I whispered, and nibbled on her ear slightly. She swatted my bottom, and I gave her a fake moan. “Ooo, spank me,” I joked, sticking my bottom at her, and she swatted it again.

“Go get our lunch.”

“Mmmhmm, yes ma'am,” I said, and winked at her, walking over to the bags she had left on the counter. I found it quickly; Chinese takeout, and brought it back. She sorted it out, and we ate quickly, sitting on the floor together, then she was up, taking out the stuff she had bought for the apartment and setting things up, and I went back to work, finishing the strip installs around the windows. I pulled out my cell phone, and called Glory Girl, asking her quickly about windows upgrades. She said she'd check into it, and get back to me when she found out. I thanked her, hung up, and pulled up the schematics of the suit I had taken from Dragon again on the computer, analyzing them for what had to be about the hundredth time.

I pulled out my visor, and laid it next to my computer, plugging the cable in, then powering the VI on. I pulled the earpiece out and fit it into my ear. “KC, link to external system, install parameters to allow your control.”

[Affirmative. Done.]

“KC, find the program I recently wrote, timestamps should tell you of it. Can you interface with it?”

[It will require minimal reworking to be compatible.]

“I see... can you rewrite?”

[Affirmative.]

“Do it. Allow full control to all options, code authority command to my own vocal patterns and Lisa's.”

[I will need a new vocal sample from Lisa, unaltered.]

I turned to her. “Lisa, c'mere. I need you to talk to KC.”

I handed her the earpiece as she got there. She put it on, then looked around. “Um. Hello?” She jerked in surprise, then smiled, as KC spoke back to her. It was about that moment that I remembered whose voice I had mimicked to program KC. I felt my cheeks glowing as she looked at me, smiling, then spoke a few lines KC asked her to, then handed back the earpiece.

“Sorry... I forgot...”

She smiled. “Don't be. It's cute. It's like you can talk to me all the time.”

I smiled a little at that. “That... was kind of my thought. To hear your voice more.”

She brushed my cheek with a kiss, then went back to doing what she had been before. As she did so, she flicked on the TV. Immediately, we both had stopped, and were staring at the screen.

“ _-reports are extremely unclear as to how the outbreak began, but one thing is very clear. The threat has hit the United States, disrupting trade all across the West Coast. San Francisco is in flames, and feed we're getting from Los Angeles is fuzzy at best.”_ The camera behind the reporter zoomed in on a burning skyscraper as it toppled, throwing up a huge cloud of smoke and debris. _“Military forces are forcefully quarantining the area with the assistance of the Protectorate, using lethal force in an attempt to keep the virus from spreading across the US as it has spread across Europe and Asia.”_ The camera cut to a shot of a military style blockade, Marines standing in a row before a heavy artillery emplacement. Men on radios were communicating with airborne spotters within the city, and the artillery was pounding away, dropping shells into the city in areas where the infected were spreading. As the camera focused, a group of people approached the blockade, were obviously ordered to stop and turn back, did not, and were executed on the spot by a burst of accurate fire from the Marines.

“Holy shit,” Lisa breathed, covering her mouth. She looked at me, and I nodded.

“This is a class-S threat. Everyone will be called to volunteer, and go,” Lisa whispered. Sure enough, not twenty seconds later her phone rang. She flipped it on speaker. “Hello?”

“ _Hey, it's Victoria. You see the news?”_

“Watching it now.”

“ _PRT's put out the call. They're asking anyone and everyone to help out. We're interested in keeping this as far away from Brockton Bay as possible. Amy's calling Brian, but I thought I would reach out to you. Are you guys in?”_

She had said “you guys,” which to me, implied that she knew I was there. I leaned forward, closer to the speaker. “You know I am.”

Lisa looked at me for a moment. “And you know I can't let her go alone.”

“ _I understand. Thank you both. Teleporters will be at PRT headquarters soon to get those that are volunteering across the country to help out.”_ She paused briefly. _“Looks like you have about thirty minutes to get there. That going to be long enough?”_

I nodded, and Lisa spoke. “We'll be there. I'll check with the rest of the Undersiders on the way, but I think it would be safe to assume you'll get most, if not all, of us.”

“ _Thanks, Lisa, Kels. We'll see you soon, kay?”_

“Yep.” They hung up, and Lisa looked at me for a moment, then pulled me close in a hug. “Whatever happens, I'm glad we're going together.”

I nodded, mute, and hugged her tighter, then she pulled away, to get her costume on, and I followed her example, stripping down to my panties, then pulling on a light pair of spandex shorts under the bodysuit Taylor had made for me, my armor all strapped into it. I pulled on the visor, tucked my glasses into my belt for safekeeping, grabbed a few tools I thought I might need, then we were headed down. We caught up with Grue, Skitter, and Morkulv in the lobby. I glanced around. “Regent, Bitch?”

Grue shook his head. “Regent wasn't interested, Bitch said she would stay here and take care of the dogs.”

I nodded, and glanced down the street. “I need to get the suit. I'll meet you guys at the PRT HQ.”

Skitter and Tattle hesitated, but I shooed them off, and broke into a jog in the opposite direction. New Wave had thought it would be better, for the time, if I had kept it closer to their building, at least for the time. I fully planned on moving it after I got back from dealing with Bonesaw's plague.

People on the street stared as I jogged by. Most weren't even aware yet what was happening, that on the other side of the country, millions of people were fighting for their lives, dying by the thousands... and none of them knew who I was, but my costume drew their attention nevertheless. I sped up, and eventually broke into an all-out sprint, skidding around corners and finally getting the parking garage where the suit was stowed. I took the elevator to the roof, and there it was, sitting in the corner under an overhang, carefully disguised with some tarps and crates. I tugged off the worst of it, and popped the hatch open with KC, hopping in, powering it on, and carefully navigating it out into the open, then hit it.

It was my first time really flying, and I decided immediately that I did not like it. Nor did I love it.

I  _FUCKING_ loved it! I giggled like a schoolgirl uncontrollably as I rocketed into the air, twisted, and dived, KC plotting the course I needed to take and broadcasting it into my visor for me. I grinned as I barely touched the controls, and the responded immediately, bringing the craft in directly into the front area of the PRT HQ. It was swarming with capes and individuals. As I landed, and popped the hatch open, I saw Tattle, with Glory Girl and Panacea, coming in my direction. “Just in time,” Tattle said with a smile. I sat in the suit and smiled.

“Have I mentioned how awesome this thing is? Can't wait to see how it handles in a combat situation. Did you know, it has a weapons system that rearms itself? It's freaking amazing...” I trailed off, realizing they were all giving me that “tinker talk” stare, and shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Undersiders, New Wave, please gather around the suit, we'll be teleported together,” Glory Girl said in to her earpiece. I saw Grue, Morkulv, and Skitter head our way. Lady Photon and several other members of New Wave came right after them, until we had a sizable gathering around the suit. I fiddled with some of the controls, trying to memorize everything quickly, when a PRT official stepped over and glanced us over.

“New Wave?”

Glory Girl took point, nodding. “That's us.”

“Great. You're being sent into the Bay. It's a shitty situation, no way you look at it. Local capes have either been killed or infected. You'll have no local support, so no help on that avenue. We're sending you in behind the quarantine zone, so leave any non-combatants there, for support. Your combat capable members need to head in, and, well. Kill as many fucking infected as you can see. It's the only way to fight it, to burn it out. Have to kill and contain. Don't worry about taking any human lives; you'll see it for yourself when you get there, but people cease to be people when they're infected. They rip living people into pieces, eat them. They kill anything they touch, destroy what they can't kill. They're restless, they don't stop. You can shoot twenty bullets into one person before it goes down, so don't hold back. Don't let them touch you. If you're hand-to-hand, stay on the quarantine line, pick up a gun, do what you can to help and support. All clear?”

Nods all around. I felt my heart climbing into my throat. This was happening. Right here, right now. This was really fucking happening. I was going across the country to fight the worst threat in global history. Me. A girl. Just one girl, throwing herself headlong into a fight that was being fought on a global scale, in a hundred countries... the edges of panic began to seep in around the edges, but I willed myself into silence and stillness as the teleporters stepped up, and sent us to San Francisco.

Being teleported was actually pretty... boring. There was nothing to it, no smoke and a flash, no incantation... okay. I had been watching too many movies. The air seemed to just shimmer, then pop around us, and we went from being in one place, to another. The first thing that hit me was the noise. It had been loud in Brockton Bay, with the flurry of activity and men shouting over one another to be heard. Here, it was deafening. Explosions, booming, the popping and ripping sound of automatic weapons, screams, shouting, the roar of artillery firing nonstop. We were literally in the middle of a battlefield.

Glory Girl took command immediately, dividing people up. “Morkulv, Twilight! You two, together. Use long-range weaponry only! No hand-to-hand! Tattle, get to a vantage point, get us any information you can! Twilight, what's the range on these ear pieces?”

“I...” I trailed off, staring in shock at the scene of the barricade, about thirty yards away. Men were laying atop of a bunker, firing nonstop. Others were running cartons of ammunition to them. They had a 50 cal, heavy duty emplacement gun set down, and it was thumping away, shells raining out of it. Two helicopters zipped overhead, firing missiles, banking away with the guns ripping off a few hundred shells.

“Twilight!” Glory Girl snapped. “What's the range?”

My eyes went to her, and I grounded myself in her steadfast dedication, the way she held herself, the determination in her eyes. “About ten square miles, give or take a little.”

“You heard her. Don't range farther out then ten. Stay in range, stay in touch. Everyone clear?”

A chorus of agreement.

“Then get to it.”

“Twilight, hold a moment,” Morkulv growled. I closed the hatch on the suit, and cut out 99% of the noise and settled myself. “Just grabbing some ammo.”

I turned and saw him holding an assault rifle, with a high-powered sniper rifle slung on his back. He was stuffing clips into his pockets, and had a bandoleer full of clips around his chest. Then he turned, looking at the suit, and nodded, taking off, shooting into the sky.

“KC, lock on Morkulv's location, set as home.”

[Affirmative.]

“Scan the city. How many people alive?”

[Results inconclusive.]

“Elaborate.”

[There are four-hundred-thirteen-thousand, seven-hundred-twenty-one lifeforms currently within the city, however the readings are wildly inconsistent with normal human life. Unable to determine logical assumption of human numbers.]

Well. That sure made things complicated. I relayed the information to Morkulv, who lead us over the city, to get a look at what was going on. It was bad. Airstrikes had set huge swathes of the city itself on fire, and the fires, unchecked, were spreading wildly. Buildings were collapsed, or had been destroyed, on every block. Rubble from explosions, artillery hits, or airstrikes was everywhere. Bodies were stacked up in some areas that it was obvious the military had made a stand during their fighting retreat out of the city. Some were far from human looking... others were very human. Children. Women. Innocent people, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. A threat to everyone because of what they'd been exposed to.

As we assessed, a building toppled over, and out of the wreckage poured a wall of human-like figures, some were down, running on all fours, others running impossibly fast on two-legs. They were all twisted, skeletal, clothes hanging in rags from their frames, mouths hanging open, eyes and faces ripped up, torn open, blood and flesh drooping off their skulls. It was horrific and terrifying.

“I see what they meant,” Grue said through the earpieces. “These... are definitely not human. They're terrifying.”

“Indeed,” Panacea murmured softly, sadly in return. Her sentiment seemed to echo everyone else's. No one else said a thing.

I watched for a moment, then twisted the suit around, aiming the energy cannons downwards, and fired. The suit didn't even recoil, the cannons themselves aborbing the recoil energy and harnessing it for a second blast. As I kept the trigger depressed, a multitude of blasts rained down upon the creatures below. Ones that took direct hits were shattered, crushed. Others were blown apart by near hits, and cast flying into the sky. The blasts churned up the ground, and sent them scurrying for cover.

“They have some intelligence. Seeking cover from aerial assaults,” Morkulv reported.

“Instinctual, or are they looking for tactical advantages?” Tattletale's voice. I immediately longed to be with her, back in the apartment that morning, between her thighs, tasting her... it was infinitely better than where we were now.

“Unclear.”

I backed the suit up, spraying more energy bolts down, tracking movement with the visor, locking onto it with a glance, and firing. As I did that, Morkulv, hovering in midair, had raised his rifle to his shoulder, and was firing at others I had missed, putting down several more, until KC informed me that this area was clear. We moved on, coasting low over a few streets, and came upon another group. They were ripping their way into a home, and to our utter horror, there were people inside, fighting back. I flipped the cannons up, firing where I was looking, taking down creature after creature, annihilating them as fast as they charged the house. Morkulv twisted around and fired on more coming up the street.

“Help us! HELP!” I looked down and saw a group of young teens, a girl no older than myself, and what had to have been their parents climbing out of a window, up onto the roof, waving for our attention.

“Tattle, we have innocents alive in here. Uninfected.”

“There are no uninfected,” Tattle answered immediately. Her voice was infinitely sorrowful.

“But.. they're fine,” I protested. “I'm looking at the them right now. We saved them.”

“They've been too close to the virus, we can't be sure one of them won't turn.”

“There has to be something we can do,” I protested again, weakly.

“Twilight, look,” Morkulv said softly. I turned my attention back to the family. One of the middle children had fallen, and was convulsing. The father looked up at us, hovering over his home. “FUCK YOU! FUCKING HELP US!” he screamed, pointing at his son.

I felt tears welling in my eyes as the transformation happened before my very eyes. The kid screamed as he began tearing at his own face. His sister and mother struggled to hold his arms down, but he threw them off, and ripped his own eyes from their sockets, blood trailing down his face as he stretched and arched. I saw his bones popping, changing, the infection rapidly running through his entire body. Morkulv leveled his rifle at the creature that had been the kid a few moments before, and fired a single round through the center of his forehead. The family pulled away from the corpse, crying, mourning... but they didn't even have time to accept what was happening before the father suddenly shoved them away, falling to his knees, his back arching as he screamed...

“The virus spreads rapidly with any form of touch. We have verified that it's not airborne, by some stroke of stupid luck, but even if a single drop of their blood gets on you... you're gone. It takes you before you know it. That family was already gone, Twilight. I'm so sorry.”

I was crying silently as I turned the suit's cannons on the father, fired one short blast. He was blasted into the home, through the roof, thankfully so the rest of the family would not have to see what happened to his body. The others were turning, screaming, tearing at their faces...

A few shots later, we were on the move again, tears still silently trailing down my cheeks as he hunted and exterminated pack after pack. The energy cannons fired ceaselessly, tracking down every last target, and I became methodical in it, cool, calculated. The only one to save anyone was to stop this here. The only way to stop this was to kill every trace of the infection, and burn it out afterwards.

More military airstrikes rolled through, carpet bombing the larger portions of the city with napalm. I watched the fire roar into the darkening sky, smoke pouring out of the ruins of San Francisco. I have never seen anything so terrible, so humbly terrifying, in my entire life. The cannons vibrated as they tore through another group, tracking and killing, blasting the creatures apart.

We moved on, slowly... another group, another kill. Another group, another kill. It became a mind-numbing monotonous tone within my mind. A way to separate myself from the reality of what we were doing.

“Twlight, Morkulv. Come back to the quarantine zone. You've been out there for eleven hours. You need food, rest.”

“I'm okay,” I whispered back.

“Twilight, please,” Tattle said softly. “For me.”

I turned the suit, and flew out of the city, not looking back. I couldn't look back.

* * * * * * *

The fire crackled and popped. It was something to focus on, other than...  _that._ The artillery was a ceaseless pounding, flares whistled as they flew overhead, rifles popped... I stared into the flames, putting my hands over my ears, but they didn't block the sound. Not enough.

We were all gathered around the fire, about half a mile away from the quarantine zone. The military was crediting the capes that had shown up, volunteering to come put their lives on the line, with the success of holding for so long. There was actually some hope that we might, somehow, win. Push it back. The capes hadn't been untouched in their doing so, however. A couple from somewhere in Virginia had been overwhelmed, and fallen. Another from somewhere farther up north had been struck inadvertently by an artillery strike, and fallen. Only three, but still... three.

“I'm worried about her,” I heard Taylor whisper to Lisa. Lisa was sitting right next to me, her leg pressed against mine, her arm around my shoulders. Taylor was on Lisa's other side, though she had kept shooting little glances my way. On her other side sat our newest member, Vista, who hadn't been involved with any direct fighting today. There were few of us that actually had; myself and Morkulv were it from the the Undersiders. Grue and Skitter had helped out extensively on the barricade lines, but they hadn't seen the mess of the city itself. Most of New Wave was out now, cycling in while we cycled out, so we would have a constant presence on the battlefield.

“She saw... a lot.”

“How bad is it out there?” Taylor whispered. “I only know... what we've seen from here. Which is bad enough.”

“Its a fair bit worse out there,” Lisa whispered. I stared into the flames, unmoving, making no sign I was even aware of the conversation. Lisa rubbed my back softly. It was nice. I closed my eyes, trying to relax into it...

_Blood trailing from broken eyesockets, one eyeball dangling on his cheek, the kid rose to his feet, his legs snapping and popping audibly as the bones warped, changed, lengthened..._

My eyes snapped back open. Couldn't close my eyes. Not when that was all I could see.

“Is she going to be okay?” Taylor asked softly. “Are any of us?”

Lisa looked at her. I could feel the shift of her body against mine. The warm contours of her form changing as she turned. “I hope so. I really, really hope so.”

* * * * * * *

Lisa pushed me gently into the tent. I stumbled in, and then stood in the center, unmoving. She crawled in behind me, and zipped the door shut, then sat down, and turned me to look at her. She gave me a little smile, then reached up, pulling my visor off. I blinked as my vision went fuzzy, and she pulled my glasses out of my belt, and put them on me. She helped me out of my costume, and stacked it neatly by the door. When I was down to just the shorts and panties, she pulled me down, sitting across her lap, and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

“Are you okay?” she whispered. I nodded mutely against her shoulder. I was... on some level, at least. I was fine. I was saddened, depressed by what I'd seen, the amount of death and destruction had staggered me, taken me completely by surprise, but I was, fundamentally, okay. “Are you sure?” she turned me to look me in the eye. I met her gaze, and forced a tiny half smile.

“I'm fine. I'm just... a little overwhelmed. This... wasn't what I expected.” It was the first time I'd spoken since being recalled out of the field, even to her. I saw tears in her eyes, and she smiled, embracing me tightly again. “I'm sorry,” I whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry I didn't see this, what it would be like, warn you, do something to help. I'm so, so sorry you've had to see this, go through all of this.”

I laid my finger across her lips gently. “It's okay, Lisa. I don't blame you, or anyone but Bonesaw. This is what she did. She caused all of this, literally. I'm glad I'm here, and not someone else. I'm glad it's me, because I can stop this.”

She blinked, and kissed my finger gently before pulling it down with one hand. “They've tried to stop the plague. A dozen, no, more than a dozen tinkers have died trying to stop this. The greatest minds in the world are powerless against this.”

I shook my head softly. “It's a plague. It was created by one girl. A girl barely older than me. And it can be stopped. She's a tinker, too. What a tinker does, a better tinker can undo. I'm better than her.”

She studied me for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth between my own. “You really believe that, don't you,” she breathed. “You... you can fix this?”

I nodded. “Not alone. She didn't do it alone either. But I've seen enough of how it works now to figure it out. It's a very basic virus. Self-replicating, self-sustaining. It's basically just like a computer virus. Once you figure out how it runs, you can reverse it. And once you reverse it, all it does it destroy itself. All I have to do is write the counter code, and disperse it.”

“Why haven't you?”

I cupped her face in my hands. “Do you trust me? Truly, honestly, completely, utterly trust me?”

She nodded, no hesitation. I kissed her for that. I loved her for that. “I need to get closer to it. I need to see it, face-to-face. I have to interact with it.”

“You can't. It'll take you.” She shook her head.

“I have to. I'm here... in this spot, right here, right now, for a reason. If I can figure out the code, undo it, it's that easy. I _need_ to do this. To show Bonesaw she's not the greatest. That she can't walk all over this world. That I'm better than her.” My eyes flashed. “And I am better than her. Better tinker, better person. I can't undo the damage she's done, but I can stop the virus from infecting and destroying any more cities. The military won't condone what I'm doing. No one will. It has to be me, and it has to be me alone.”

She shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks, sobs building up within her. “You can't go alone, what happens if you die? What then? What happens to me? You'd leave me? All alone? By myself? You can't do that to me, Kelsey! You can't walk into my life, make me love you, take away my choice, and walk out.”

“I'm not leaving you,” I whispered, still holding her face, and kissed her. Her lips were salty, wet from her tears, but I didn't care. I kissed her anyway, pressed close to her. She kissed me back, desperate, clinging to me.

“There are... two options. Two people I can take with me.” She looked up at me, and her eyes widened. “Morkulv and Panacea. Morkulv, to hold the creature while I figure it out. He can heal himself, he'll be immune to the virus. He can destroy it within his own system, and I can study that, link how he does that to how the virus replicates, I can nullify it.”

“And Panacea?”

“Can heal me, if I get infected. And Morkulv can heal her, if she does. We'll be safe. We'll do it quickly. We'll figure this out, we'll solve it, and we'll fix things. You said you trusted me... I need you to trust me now, and know I'm not sacrificing myself. I'll be okay. I'll come back.”

She hugged me tighter, and took a few shaky deep breaths. “I love you, Kelsey.”

I hugged her back even tighter, a tear rolling down my cheek. I couldn't save that family earlier today. I was powerless against it, with all the tech at my fingertips... completely powerless. But I could stop that from happening again, save countless families from the same fate.

“I love you too, Lisa.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

Warren had had a rough time of it. After the incident with the family on the rooftop, Kelsey had clammed up, not answering his private hails, moving from area to area, jumping back and forth over the city, using her VI to track and kill. He kept up with her, moving with her suit easily, using his ammo sparingly. He figured the more she could do with him just acting in support, the more ammo he would be able to bring back, and give to the men fighting on the lines. Constant streams of supplies were being brought in and distributed to the soldiers, but still, one couldn't be too careful. There was a always an end to these types of things. Of course, having teleporter capes helped. They jumped supplies across the world, and in some cases, across the globe, in half a second, and cut the transit time way down. Others were porting smaller cases up and down the containment zone line.

Listening to the others, it was pretty easy to determine that the military was holding well. They were receiving constant reinforcements as more and more of the US armed forces rolled in. Soldiers were able to rotate shifts on the walls now, casualties were at an extreme minimum, airstrikes were taking their toll, and signs of life in the city were diminishing. In truth, it was even taking him and Twilight longer and longer between groups to find anything to hunt and kill.

It seemed the process of exterminating an entire section of the population was going rather well. The Navy had blockaded the coast, and sunk only a handful of ships that had tried to flee. After seeing the first few go up in flames those trapped within the city had given up on that route, and turning into roving bands of survivors, trying to find places to hole up and survive.

Inevitably, they always lost.

Morkulv heard reports of messages that capes found on rooftops as they roamed and hunted. Messages of hatred, anger. Messages that cursed everyone that had closed the zone with survivors inside. Messages that haunted those that found them, every step of the rest of the way.

Had every single individual in the city already been turned, and lost, Morkulv could have felt a lot better about what they were doing. They happened across two other situations like the first with the family on the roof. A group of survivors holding out, until he and Twilight came upon them. They were turning to leave when they opened fire on Twilight's suit, bullets pinging off the armor as they screamed and cursed at them. Twilight flew on her way, ignoring them. She stoically, methodically, ignored them.

Morkulv couldn't. As they turned their attention to him, one of the “dead” lurched forward, and raked a survivor down the side of his face with its nails. Though everyone turned and filled the creature with lead again, it was too late. Blood splattered across two more, and they were undone. Morkulv grit his teeth as he raised his rifle to his shoulder, took aim, and put them all down, a single round in the forehead enough to put them all out of the terror and misery that was coming. He tossed down an incendiary grenade, and flew after Twilight as the flames spread over the bodies.

Horrific event upon horrific event filled the day. When they were finally recalled, Twilight landed her suit, climbed out, and sat on bench near a campfire with Tattle, and Skitter, a couple others. Morkulv walked a short distance away, and found himself on the edge of the camp, such as it was. Then he went to his knees, and vomited. Every vile thing, every despicable action, every unsavory sight... it all rolled up and boiled out of him as he heaved again, emptying the little that was in his stomach. He hadn't ate since the morning, but had absolutely no appetite anyway. Once the heaves passed, he rose, and wiped his snout on his coat's sleeve, and turned away.

No one was there, waiting for him. He didn't know what he expected. The Undersiders were gathered around the fire, with the exception of the two that hadn't come and himself, and New Wave members were on deployment, while the others rested. They would cycle out in another twelve hours. He grit his teeth, and walked back to the fire, sitting and staring into the flames.

Grue touched his shoulder, drawing his attention. When he looked over, Grue nodded, a sign of respect. “It's been a rough day. Moreso for some of us. But it's looking good. We've done more in the way of containment than anyone else has.”

Morkulv shrugged. “Out there... it's not... containment. It's a massacre. Of those that have turned, and those that are fighting not to.”

Grue nodded. “I get that. And I respect what you're doing.”

In the distance, the sky lightened as a new series of airstrikes rolled through, incinerating another section of the city, firebombs raining from the sky.

“This isn't going to stop here. Even if we do win this fight, contain it, it'll hit the country somewhere else. And if we win again? Bonesaw will just run across the States, dropping it everywhere, and sooner or later, we'll be overrun as well. Unless we find the counter to it.”

Grue looked into the fire as well. He seemed sad, resigned. “Then we need to find that counter,” he said, his fists clenching.

* * * * * * *

“Wake up. Hey. Sorry to wake you up early, but there's something going down, and you're a part of it.”

He opened his eyes, shaking his head slightly to clear it. “I'm up,” he said gruffly. Tattletale stood over him, hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were red, puffy, and she seemed agitated. “What's the matter?”

“Twilight... she has a plan. An idea. I don't know what you call it, but she's dead set on it. She says she can figure this out, cure this, stop this, I don't know what. But she needs your help.”

“She has it.” He pushed himself to his feet. Tattletale grabbed his arm, turned him to look at her. “I can't... can't tell if this is going to work. All I know, is that it's a crazy ass idea, and crazy ass ideas in situations like this get people killed. I hope she can do it. If anyone could, it would be here. I believe in her. I trust her. But you gotta... you gotta help me.” Her bottom lip quivered, as if she were on the verge of tears. “I can't lose her already. You gotta promise me, you'll do everything you can to keep her alive, you got it? Everything you can do!”

Morkulv nodded, and placed both hands on her shoulders. “She's my friend too,” he tried to make his voice softer, smoother. “I don't want to lose her either. Everything I can do. You have my promise.”

She nodded. “Thank you. She's waiting for you. You two are slipping out. She's talking to Panacea, you'll meet her somewhere, pick her up. She's going with you.”

“Where are we going?”

“She'll fill you in,” Tattle said, and took him to Twilight's suit. She was already sitting in the seat, the suit powered on. She looked at Morkulv, and he saw a small spark of the girl he remembered in her eyes as she gave him a small, confidant smile.

“Ready to go?” she asked. He nodded. She tapped her ear, and he put his earpiece in. “I've set mine, yours, and Panacea's to only broadcast to the three of us.”

He nodded understanding, and heard Panacea acknowledge in his ear.

“We're meeting Panacea at the medical area. There aren't any wounded coming in, she's been sitting on her hands for the most part. I'll fill you both in while we're on the move. Kay?”

“Understood,” he and Panacea said together.

Twilight shut her hatch, and the suit lifted off, moving quietly and quickly over the camp. He followed after. It seemed every time she got in the suit it was getting easier for her to operate. It twisted around as it landed near a large area, slightly off to the side of the rest, full of beds and cots. Ninety-percent of them were empty, which was by-and-large a good thing. Panacea hurried over, and Twilight opened the hatch, letting her climb in. Then she took off, and he followed again as they shot low and fast over the camp, towards the city.

“Okay, so. Panacea, as you see, I have a few things tucked in here... so here's what the plan is. We're going to land in the city.” She waited for a moment, but neither of them voiced objections, so she went on. “Me and Panacea are going to try—and that's a keyword, try—to stay in the suit, out of containment range. Morkulv, I'm relying on your powers of self-healing rendering you immune to the virus. You should be able to detect it entering your system and destroy it. When we land I'm going to give you an injection of some awesome microprobes. They'll read what your system is doing to counter the virus, and transmit data back to me. So basically I just need you to go be yourself, make some friends, and hit them with your black hammers a bit, get them to bleed on you. Myself, with Panacea, will evaluate the data feedback, figure out what in the hell this virus is, and formulate a plan, or counter, to it from there. Clear?”

Morkulv nodded. “These uh.. probes. They won't hurt, will they?”

Panacea giggled for a moment, forgetting the seriousness of the situation for half a second.

“Not anymore than a normal shot. They'll biodegradable. I picked them up from the PRT Tinker warehouse. It's like a Walmart for Tinkers. Anyway. I'll inject them in, they'll do what they do for a few hours, then fall apart and be processed out of your system like any normal waste.”

“I'll piss them out.”

“Yep.”

“Do... do they hurt then?”

“Not if normal pee doesn't hurt... and if it burns when you pee, you need to see Panacea after this.”

He grinned, at hearing her sense of humor coming back. This task, this mission, was giving her something positive to focus on rather than the negative that had been going on this entire time. It made him extremely happy to be a part of it.

They swooped over the outer edges of the city, and came to a landing. Around them, smoldering remains of homes were laying all about. Some still stood, while others had been torn apart, blasted apart, or burned down. The bombing hadn't hit this area yet, but it was obvious some artillery strikes had. The hatch popped open, and he hurried over. Twilight leaned out, a syringe in her hand, and gently poked it in to his arm, shot the mircoprobes into him, and then leaned back as the hatch shut again. He saw her inside propping Tattletale's laptop up on the control box, Panacea leaning over her shoulder to look at the screen.

“Fascinating, how fast they spread. By the way, you're in absolutely perfect health. In case you weren't aware.” He rolled his eyes, and looked up, seeing her smiling through the suit's viewport at him. He smiled back, as much as a wolf could smile, and then turned back to the task at hand. He ran a ways down the street, the suit lifting into the air and gliding after him. He looked about, then heard the gurgle to his side. He turned, and sure enough, there between two houses sat three creatures, staring at him with their eyeless sockets, blood dried and caked over their torn and desiccated faces.

He growled as they stood, and rushed at them. He let two blades spring into being in his hands, and swung them at the first, taking it's arm off, then reversing the slash and slicing it clean in two, just beneath its ribcage. The second bowled into him, but he stood firm, pivoting to knock it off balance, beheading with a single clean stroke. The third leapt at him, and he caught it in the air, burying both blades in it, carrying it overhead and slamming it to the group, blood spraying upwards from the impale wounds. He held it down with one foot on its neck, and focused inwardly...

He could _feel_ the virus sliding into his system, and let his body react, letting his power course through him, finding how things _should_ be where the virus had touched them, undoing what it did, killing the virus, forcing it out, until it was completely gone. The virus was continually re-attacking, sliding back in, being pushed out, from all points of infectious contact.

“Tell me you're getting good news,” he growled.

“These results are staggering,” Panacea whispered. “Your power... much like mine, is forming antibodies in mass amounts, but they're peculiarly formed. I've never seen anything of the sort. I need to see it in person.”

The hatch opened, and she stepped out gingerly.

“Careful!” Morkulv hissed. “If you get infected, I don't know if I can heal both of us quickly enough. The virus is a constant.”

She nodded, and he noticed most of her body was wrapped in disposable, tear-away scrubs if anything got on them. She walked gingerly around the still-struggling creature under his foot, and laid a hand on a clean section of his arm. Her eyes widened, and she nodded.. he could feel her power coursing alongside his, his educating her own, forming the antibodies faster, pouring outwards...

“It's cleansing the contaminant,” Morkulv whispered. “Together...”

He felt the power slid down, through the creatures neck, and vanished the blades, easing the pressure on it's neck, but still holding it down. The creature jerked as the healing power surged through it, destroying not only the virus completely, but healing the impale wounds. They couldn't recreate the person's eyes, but...

“My face... it hurts... I can't see... what's going on?”

“Twilight... it works!” Morkulv yelled, going down to one knee, wrapping an arm around the half-naked girl as she sat up. She may have been about sixteen, at the oldest, and he brushed dried blood away from her face.

“I can't see!” she panicked.

“Shh,” Panacea soothed her. “It's alright. You were infected. You turned.”

She looked around her wildly, her panic rising. “What? What do you mean, I was infected? The last thing I remember is running with my parents... we were headed to an evacuation zone...”

Morkulv glanced at the two corpses, and felt a small pang of remorse. “We need to get her out of here.”

Panacea nodded, and laid her fingers against her forehead. She slipped into Morkulv's arms, fast asleep.

“She'll only rest briefly. I'm getting back in the suit. Take her to the hospital area.”

Panacea turned and climbed in. Twilight was typing furiously, her fingers flying across the keyboard in a blur, her eyes dancing back and forth. Then, she cried out. “I GOT IT! I GOT IT!”

Morkulv felt a surge of elation so powerful that it took him by surprise burst through his chest.

Twilight tapped her keyboard a few more times. “Tattle, Grue, Glory Girl... everyone! I GOT IT! I have the counter for the cure. It's ridiculously simple. A simple thing. Call the military strikes off. Everyone, every _thing_ left in the city I can save.”

A chorus of confusion greeted her sudden announcement, and Morkulv figured she had opened their earpieces up to general communications again.

Tattletale cut through the chatter. “Are you absolutely, beyond all doubt, certain?”

“This is Morkulv. I'm holding a girl we cured. Together, me and Panacea. She harnessed the ability, what our powers did to heal her.”

“Cured how?”

“She was turned. She's not anymore. She's human. Resting. She's fine. Completely healthy.” Panacea confirmed. More surprised chatter.

Then Tattle cut through it again. “The general onsite said you have ten minutes, and to make it pretty,” she told Twilight.

“I only need two,” she responded. And then her suit shot skyward, lighting up. Morkulv cradled the girl close, and followed her. He wasn't about to not witness this. The suit rocketed above the city, lights that he didn't know it had lit up, attracting attention. Beacons.

It was, ironically, exactly that. A beacon of hope in the night, a beacon of light in the darkness... the suit twisted, and he saw flaps opening, expanding, and suddenly, it was raining. A light mist flowing out of the suit as she zipped over the center of the city. But... it wasn't normal rain. It was blue, green, silver, twisting and dancing in the light from the city as it drifted downwards. And it spread. Replicating through the air, spreading like wildfire, dancing and shimmering it's way into a vast river following the suit, expanding rapidly, filling the sky with the twinkling, dancing, shimmering mist. Smoke that billowed through it diminished. It seemed to clean the air itself leaving a strange, clean, fresh scent in its wake as it drifted downwards. Morkulv trailed after Twilight, as she finished one pass over the city, then turned around, making another. The trail from the first was still expanding, spreading rapidly out over the edges of the containment zone, out over the bay itself, the water reflecting the shimmering mass. It ceased descending, and began to grow downwards, tendrils and lines dropping down ahead of the rest. He watched as it swept across a street piled high with corpses, and rested on those that were dead and turned.

And then he watched, in shock and awe, as the dead reverted to human. They were still dead, of course, but the virus had been eradicated from their system, changing them back. A group of the creatures jumped around a street corner, and the colorful, bright mist swept over them. They all collapsed. When they rose, in wonder and confusion, they were staggering about, blinded, but alive. And human.

“It's working,” Morkulv said. “I have visual confirmation... it's working. The virus is being eradicated.”

Cheering. Mass cheering, whooping, hollering filled the earpieces. Morkulv stopped, and watched the cloud continued expanding, rolling over the containment line, highlighting the soldiers standing and staring in awe, others coming out of their tents and wondering why it had gone so quiet...

Twilight had finished her second pass, and was rocketting south, the suit still spreading the glittering mist. It seemed it was generating it as fast as it was spreading it.

“Is there any harm to a normal person from the mist?”

Panacea was the one who responded. “No. In fact, if you're feeling ill, suffering a cold, go stand in it. It's a blanket curative. The virus Bonesaw was using attacked the very fundamental system, corrupted your immune system, turned it against you. Curing it, cures your immune system. This mist we're spreading will soon blanket most of the western hemisphere, and continue to spread. It self-replicates once it's in the air, and because it's designed to heal, to undo what Bonesaw has done, there's nothing worse she can unleash. Her plague is over. Undone.”

Once again, the earpiece was awash in happy expressions, sounds of people crying with happiness, hugging, cheering. They were shouting the news to others, spreading it as fast as they could. Radios were relaying, broadcasting, the word zipping up and down the ravaged coast. They had done it.

* * * * * * *

In the couple of days that followed, the healing mist that Twilight and Panacea had produced had indeed swept across the entire globe, curing every last trace of Bonesaw's destructive plague, wiping it out completely. News had gone out as fast as it could, sweeping the world that two girls from Brockton Bay were responsible for ending the plague, though neither one was comfortable with taking the credit, and so they dodged media attention, and in the sweep of the joy of it being over, were soon overlooked.

The military moved back into San Francisco the next morning, helping those that had been cured, but were blind, staggering around in confusion and disarray. There were thousands of people still alive, cured completely now. Not just in San Francisco but all up and down the California coast, and throughout all of the areas that had been impacted. With the threat finally over, relief money and funds began to come lose, and fall in, helping those that needed it.

Morkulv and the Undersiders were returned to Brockon Bay the next day by teleporter, and went immediately into a full meeting with all of New Wave. Those that had remained behind had gathered to welcome them. Morkulv, Twilight, and Panacea were the last three to enter the conference room where the meeting was being held. And received a standing ovation from their friends and family.

Kelsey and Amy cried. They were out of costume, in regular dress. Warren had his projector on, and felt pride and sorrow for those that he couldn't save clog his throat, and stood straight and proud as Lisa and Victoria came to the consolation of the girls. He offered them a smile, and they all embraced, warmly, thankful everyone was safe, everyone was alive, and okay. He wrapped his arms around them until the applause died away, and they took their seats.

“So. New Wave and the Undersiders go to San Francisco, and save the world. That's sure to turn some heads, garner some attention.” They spoke briefly of the situation throughout the world, that capes from all over the world would be looking to them more, and stressed that it was more important than ever to do right in the world, to ride the metaphorical wave and convince others to join their side.

Then, finally, Warren himself asked the question no one else wanted to. “What are we going to do if the Slaughterhouse 9 want revenge, and come after us?” the table's mood fell instantly sober. “We have to face reality, and admit that this is a possibility; they've never acted on so grand a scale before, so how will they react to being beaten on that grand of a scale? Will the come here, after us? Or will they ignore us?” Silence. “And perhaps the most terrifying question... if they ignore us, is it because they have something worse up their sleeve coming next?”

Kelsey was sitting across from him, and looked at him with her big pretty green eyes. “If they come here, then we'll stop them again.”

“In direct combat? Against Siberian, and Jack Slash, when he's holding nothing back?”

“We'll do what we have to do,” Brian said. “If they come, we handle it. If they don't, and something else does, we handle it. We've made a new vow of protection to this city, and its inhabitants. We'll do what we have to do to keep them safe. No one ever said that was a one-and-done job. It's an ongoing obligation. We stopped the 9 once. Great. We did our job, no more, no less.”

Kelsey nodded her firm agreement. He spotted Lisa's arm move, clearly taking her hand under the table, a small smile at the corners of her mouth. “Brian's absolutely right. We take things as they come. We be as prepared as we can be for anything, but let's not obsess, or worry about something until we know it's coming. We can prepare for the 9, like we do everything else. I'll research some of their strengths, and come up with some weaknesses that I can build something to exploit. Dragon's suit has opened a whole new door for me. And with access to the PRT resources—unofficially, of course, as I'm not a true member of the Wards or Protectorate, I can explore what other Tinkers have done and expand upon their designs and creations.”

“I want to take a moment, Undersiders, and let you know how greatly appreciated your work and dedication is.” Mark, Victoria's and Amy's father rose to his feet. “Since you've joined, you've dedicated yourself completely to this new life, and it shows. Your valuable insights and input have been... just. Outstanding. Phenomenal. We're all very glad to have you with us.” He bowed his head to the Undersiders, and the rest of New Wave clapped, slapped the table, and gave them a cheer.

Warren grinned. Sometimes, it was good to be the hero.

* * * * * * *

Warren was walking back to his apartment alone. The meeting had gone well, and then several had elected to stay and enjoy a little grill out, a mini-party, of sorts. Warren had politely excused himself, to head home. He had several things on his mind, and wanted to get somewhere to clear it out a little, to relax, to unwind. He had been on the verge of inviting Taylor to come with him, but saw her smile at Brian when he took her arm and guided her to a table, and so he had stepped away, letting her enjoy the time with her friends. He knew she needed it.

So he was walking alone, and when a car pulled to a stop just before him, he thought nothing of it, until Miss Militia and Shadow Stalker got out of it, walking towards him. He quickly touched both of them with his power, just to be on the safe side—especially with Shadow Stalker, knowing how she usually operated, and knowing what he knew from his previous life about her story, he didn't want to take any chances with her. He could feel the residual touch on Miss Militia, and just reinforced the subtle touch, and carefully noted the way Shadow Stalker's stroll went from arrogant to coolly seductive, the way her eyes flickered to his face, then downwards coyly as they approached.

“Morkulv,” Miss Militia greeted. “May we accompany you?”

He grinned, and held out an arm. “Like I would ever refuse a beautiful woman,” he said. She flushed; not a lot, just a little. Just the right amount. He grinned, and she fell in step next to him, taking the offered arm. Shadow Stalker fell into step behind them, acting like an escort.

“The Protectorate wants to offer you a personal thank you for your actions in San Francisco.” She glanced up at him. “Your friend, Twilight, is to be commended as well. You're both global heroes.”

“Is that so?” he said softly, running his eyes over her smooth neck, peeking down the front of her top, catching just the smallest glimpse of cleavage. She was wearing full fatigues, but they were form-fitting, which he really approved of. Especially from behind, the way the way they accented her full hips and rounded bottom...

“Your membership with New Wave is respected, but not official. We would like to offer you a stable, full time position within the Protectorate, working at my side.”

“Is Armsmaster still here in Brockton Bay?” He asked lightly.

She shook her head. “He's been reassigned. Chicago, I believe it was.”

“So you're head of operations in Brockton Bay now?” he asked.

She nodded. “I guess I am.”

“Congratulations.”

“I didn't accept it for personal glory, or to be congratulated, but because someone has to do it. Someone that respects the rules and institution and holds to the laws created for all of us.”

“You definitely fill that slot,” he said, grinning at her again. Shadow Stalker moved up to his other side, and took his other arm, almost forcefully. He repressed another grin as he felt his power sinking into her mind more and more. “However, I must respectfully decline, for the time. My place is with my friends. I can't leave them, even in New Wave... not by herself.”

Miss Militia nodded. “I understand. And I respect your decision. I won't try to sway you further.”

She made to pull away, but he held onto her arm, making her glance up at him in confusion.

“You've been so kind as to come all this way to speak with me. Would you like to come up to my apartment, have a drink?”

Her eyes flickered back and forth between his, then she nodded. “Yes. I would... would like that. Shadow Stalker, you...”

“I'm coming up too,” she said pointedly, squeezing his other arm.

Warren smiled. “Of course. The more, the merrier. Come up, ladies.”

He lead the way into the apartment building, and into the elevator, to his room, unlocked the door and slipped in. He closed it securely behind himself, and motioned for the two girls to take a seat on his couch, and grabbed some drinks from his fridge, walking around and sitting between them, handing them each a cold drink.

“Thank you,” Miss Militia said, opening it, taking a drink. Shadow Stalker simply set hers aside, and turned him to look at her.

“Are you gonna fuck me or not?” she asked simply.

He grinned at her. She was in over her head... she just didn't know it yet. “Oh. Yes. I fully plan on that,” he responded, and then wrapped his arm around Miss Militia, pulling her onto his lap. She squeaked a little, then he was licking her neck, running his rough tongue up and down her smooth skin, and she melted like butter, sagging against him while he curled his tongue around her ear, traced the smooth contours, pulled her against his chest, slid one hand up her flat, toned belly to cup a breast, squeezing it softly. He heard and felt Shadow Stalker slipping out of her costume behind him, and turned to her, pulling her against his chest, running his tongue from the valley between her breasts, up over her neck, over her chin, into her mouth. She groaned slightly as his hand closed on her bottom, and squeezed it hard, pulling her closer still, his long tongue twisting in her mouth, making her gasp and moan around it.

He turned his attention back to Miss Militia, licking her neck and pulling at her top. She slipped out of it quickly, and he traced the swell of her breasts over her bra, down between them, then up the other, and back, moving back and forth, then lower, running his tongue across the bottom of her bra, and she arched her back as she reached back, unsnapping it, and let it slide off of her arms, revealing her full breasts to him.

After a while of being with girls, developing girls, and young, young women such as Victoria, he had gotten used to smaller breasts, with tight, small nipples, firm, perky... Miss Militia, while not being old, by any means, was a little older, more mature, her breasts larger, heavier, her skin darker than the pale white girls he had been with recently, her nipples larger. They had a bit of sag to them, but nothing that detracted from them, just the natural result of their own weight. He grinned, and licked one nipple, feeling it harden against his tongue as he swirled it around, then rubbed his tongue over the stiffening peak. He grasped her other breast in his hand, giving it a generous squeeze, and she gave a pleasant moan. He switched nipples.

Shadow Stalker was getting impatient on his other side, and stripped out of all of her costume, and straddled his thigh, rubbing herself against him to get his attention. He glanced at her as she did so, his eyes traveling down her body. She was lithe, tight, lean, her breasts small, perky, with small erect nipples. Her skin was also darker, like Miss Militia's, and her hips were still narrow with her athletic form, her sex clean and smooth, not a hair on her body anywhere. He grabbed her bottom with his other hand, giving it a hard squeeze, pulling her up so her thigh was pressed between his legs, rubbing against his cock in his pants as she rubbed on him.

He laid Miss Militia back, licking down her smooth, toned belly, playing with her navel with his tongue for a bit, then slipped her boots off, then undid her fatigues, and pulled them down, exposing her smooth legs, toned and firm. He rubbed his palms over her bronze thighs, marveling at how firm, yet soft and feminine she was. He ran his tongue up one leg, from knee to hip, making her shiver as she laid farther back, raising her hips slightly, moving her sex into a far more accessible position. She was wearing plain white bikini-cut panties, but the white of the cloth stood out in start contrast with her bronze skin in such a way that it was irresistibly sexy, as sexy as a pair of flimsy lingerie panties would have been. He pushed one of her legs up, resting it on his shoulder, and pulled the other across his lap, twisting sideways, laying down between her thighs. Shadow Stalker ran her hands up and down Miss Militia's leg absently, while she worked herself back and forth on his thigh, slipping one hand over his cock, and then undoing his pants, slipping one hand in to grasp the hard shaft and pull it free, stroking him gently.

He hooked a finger under the edge of Miss Militia's panty, and pulled it aside, exposing her soft sex. She was wet, and it showed. Her bronze lips were puffy, slightly parted from the way her legs were spread, her insides a shocking pink against the darker tone of her skin. He lowered his tongue to her netherlips, sticking his tongue deep inside of her pussy right away. She moaned loudly, and arched up against him as the long, nubile tongue slid several inches into her sex, and twisted around within her, rolling and coiling, flexing and moving enough to keep her toes curled with shocks of sensation rolling through her body.

Shadow Stalker lowered her head, sliding back on his thigh to perch on his knee, and took his cock into her hot little mouth, sucking on him shallowly, using her tongue to tease around his head, little flicking licks that made his cock jump. He reached down with one hand, grabbing the back of her head, and shoved her down, sliding his cock deep into her throat in one savage thrust. She coughed and gagged, but he held her down, feeling her tongue wriggling against the base of his shaft furiously. He grinned, and let her slide up, catching her breath, then pushed her down again, just as far, burying himself in her young, slender throat.

It was the least Sophia deserved for the way she treated Taylor, he figured.

She coughed again around his cock in her throat as he tenderly licked and pleasured Miss Militia, bringing her to a series of intense orgasms with his tongue in her pussy and ass, licking her clit and swirling around in her wet juices. She cried out time after time as he brought her off, her hips bucking as he didn't stop, plowing forward, bringing her indescribable pleasure as he roughly throat-fucked Shadow Stalker, his hand on the back of her head dragging her up and down his shaft, sliding it in and out of her gaping mouth, strings of her saliva running unchecked down her chin and over his balls as he didn't give her a full chance to recover.

Finally, he wanted a different hole, and pulled her off his cock, picking her up, and laying her on her belly on the floor. He grabbed a little pillow, and stuffed it under her hips, raising her ass a bit. He pressed her legs together, and had Miss Militia lay next to her, on her back, legs spread, knees tucked up by her shoulders. He ran his hand over her pussy, careful not to scratch her with his claws, and cupped it, rubbing against her clit with his palm while he took his cock in his other hand, straddled Shadow Stalker's hips, and pressed the saliva-slick shaft between her bottom cheeks, finding her small hole, and pushed his way into it, fiercely, quickly, sliding half in in one quick thrust.

She cried out beneath him, not all pleasure, and he grinned. He didn't want her to overly enjoy this. She needed to hurt, to suffer... it was karma. He was just the enforcer.

He concentrated for a moment, and from his hand, grew a black tendril, slipping directly from his palm, deep inside of Miss Militia. She cried out and arched her back as she felt her pussy stretching as he increased the size and girth to roughly the size of his own cock, which was now firmly deep inside of Shadow Stalker's pert little ass, his hips pressed up against her soft round cheeks. He pulled his hips back, and vibrated the tendril within Miss Militia, undulating it as it shook, rolling the vibration sensation up and down its length. She cried out and her eyes went wide as feeling and pleasure swept through her every sense. She couldn't even think, it was so pure, so intense... she cried out and bucked upwards, hard, pushing her pussy into his hand, and he slid it in deeper, pressing it against her cervix, filling every inch of her wet tunnel with thick, undulating, vibrating cock-tendril.

Shadow Stalker moaned as he rocked his hips into her, taking his pleasure from her hard and fast, pounding her tight little ass. He held her down with one hand in the small of her back, and looked down between them, watching his cock slide in and out of her tight body. Had she been a better person, he would have taken his time with her, shown her the wonders and joys of sex like he was with Miss Militia, treating her to a hundred orgasms for his one... but she was, quite frankly, a bitch. And so he pounded her, abused her, used her, not carrying about her pleasure, only his own.

And she let him. She was pushing into his thrusts, loving the way he merely used her body. He pounded her harder, thrusting his cock deep within her and howling as he felt his orgasm explode over him, his cock churning as it unloaded a huge amount of cum inside of her belly, jetting out of him with incredible force. She moaned as she felt his cum filling her ass, and came herself, despite everything, shaking as she felt hot spurt after spurt of his cum filling her abused backside.

Miss Militia cried out, and went limp, passing out, as she came with a vicious spree of orgasms, one right after the other, and he let the tendril dissipate away, rubbing her thighs gently as he pulled out of Shadow Stalker's abused bottom and got to his feet. She remained on the floor, breathing hard, and Miss Militia was out of it for the time being.

He glanced over both of them. “You're welcome to hang out here as long as you want. I'm going to grab a shower,” he said to Shadow Stalker, who looked up at him, nodding meekly, and he walked into the bedroom, grinning to himself. He knew, somehow... beyond any doubt... he had a new pet at his beck and call.

 


	13. Chapter 13

“To the heroes of the hour!”

“Hear, hear!” from several voices, followed by laughter as glasses clinked against one another, and people drank to the toast. I giggled as Lisa tinked her glass against mine. Champagne... I had never had it before, and while I didn't particularly see what all the fuss was about with it, it was fun to drink it, because it wasn't technically allowed. Victoria had slipped it to me with a wink and a smile, and while Lisa had saw, and knew, she shared a conspiratorial smile with me, as she watched me drink it slowly.

Problem was, that had been a few glasses ago... I was giggling more, and dizzy, and it showed. Taylor was staying with me more and more, and I found myself touching her more, my hand resting on her arm, or holding her hand, or on her leg, depending on where we were. Brian was sitting on her other side, and also seemed to always have an excuse to be touching her, be it subtly. Lisa was on my other side, talking with a couple of the New Wave members before they were called away. Then her attention shifted solely to me.

Shielder—I didn't know his real name, and only vaguely knew him as an individual, came and sat across from me. We were sitting in a circle of chairs, drinks in hand, our back to the table, and as he sat, he flashed me a wide grin, and picked up the bottle of champagne, putting it to my glass.

“I think...” I paused, my eyes going fuzzy for just a moment, “I think I've had enough.”

“Nonsense,” he said with a little smile. “You're the hero of the moment. You deserve to fully indulge yourself. In everything you want.”

“Everything I want,” I repeated, grinning, while he filled the glass up, and I took another drink. The taste was really starting to grow on me. I giggled, and Lisa turned her attention to me, sliding her arm smoothly around my shoulders, hugging me to her side. I leaned my head on her shoulder, looked up at her. “Everything I want,” I said again, and giggled.

She smiled, and glanced at Shielder. “You're a cute drunk,” she mused, and kissed my forehead.

“Am not drunk,” I protested, and reached up with my empty hand, turning her face to me. “I can indulge,” I whispered, and pulled her mouth to mine, kissing her lips. She returned the kiss warmly, then when we parted, smiled slightly.

“Not drunk, hmm? How many of those glasses have you had?”

I glanced at the champagne, shrugged, and giggled again. “Iunno. Kiss me. I love you.”

She kissed me again, murmuring a “love you too” against my lips as her tongue slid across my lips. I opened my mouth and sucked it inside. She tasted sweet, like the champagne, with the underflavor that was all Lisa. I loved her taste. Loved how her tongue felt in my mouth, the way her breathing quickened, the wash of her breath across my cheeks as she pressed urgently against me. I opened my eyes, and saw Shielder watching us intently, a little smile on his face.

“I think someone's getting jealous,” I whispered into Lisa's ear. She turned her head, and smiled at him as well.

“Not yet he's not,” Taylor said, then kissed me as well, opening her mouth even before our lips met, sliding her tongue smoothly into my mouth. I moaned softly as she gently explored my mouth with her nubile little tongue, her hands holding my face still as she kissed me. Lisa's hand was on my belly, under my shirt, and on my back, rubbing gently across my shoulders.

Shielder leaned forward intently as Taylor kissed me, licking his lips. “The rumors are true, then?” he asked quietly.

I opened my eyes again, looking at him as Taylor licked my lips as we parted, my tongue darting out for a last touch against her own. “Rumors?”

“Rumor had it you and Lisa were... ya know. Together. As a couple.” His eyes flickered towards Taylor. “I hadn't heard anything about you.”

“She's an honorary member,” Lisa said, and I giggled, running my hand up Taylor's thigh, only a couple inches away from the junction of her thighs. Her legs parted a couple of inches, purely by instinct.

Missy, the newest member, walked up at the exact moment that Lisa pulled my lips back to her own, tracing my mouth with her tongue before kissing me. I arched my back and she pulled my shirt up a bit, exposing my belly, the smooth pale skin... then higher, up to the bottom of my breasts, without lifting it over them, but moving her hand over the small swellings, tweaking my nipples, making them hard...

“Oh!” Missy gasped, jerking in surprise.

I looked at her, and grinned. She was holding a glass of champagne in her hand too, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. “C'mere,” I said. She walked over, the flush in her cheeks growing. I stood up, and pushed her down in my chair. She was wearing a cute outfit, striped stockings under a black skirt that came to her knees, a white top with black frills around the collar, sleeveless. And she was cute. Barely older than myself, with a tight, small figure. We hadn't even talked yet, since she'd joined. But I sat across her slim thighs, nestling myself against her. She stiffened, and I twisted around, straddling her lap, my kness on either side of her legs. I was wearing simply yoga pants, and heard Shielder give a “Oh damn..” as I pushed my bottom out a little, and rubbed against Missy's front, coming up so our mouths were less than an inch apart. “Do you wanna kiss me?” I asked her softly, barely a whisper.

Lisa took my champagne glass, then held it to my lips, and tipped it up. I drained what was left in the glass, then as Missy nodded, her cheeks heating some more, pressed our mouths together, opening both of our mouths, sharing the cold drink with her. I felt her shiver slightly as the cold champagne swept into her mouth, then we both swallowed, and I kissed her again, for real, coaxing her mouth back open, darting my tongue into her mouth, teasing her own to come up and meet mine, twisting around it, exploring her mouth while I rocked on her lap, pressing my tiny breasts into hers, which were barely larger than my own. I ran my hands down her sides, to the the bottom of her top, and drew it upwards, tossing it over her head and aside quickly. She was wearing a soft white bra underneath, and I grinned as I undid it, drew it off her shoulders, and threw it aside as well. She looked at me, eyes wide, as I drew off my own top, and then pressed our bare breasts together, rubbing my little erect nipples across her own, which were already hard, then kissed her again, harder, sucking her tongue into my mouth, trapping it there while I slipped one hand down between us, coaxing her legs to part, pressing her skirt down between her thighs as I cupped her sex. I could feel the heat radiating out of her already, and grinned, licking her cheek and ear. “Do you want me to lick your pussy?” I asked her softly.

She nodded again, pressing her hips subtly against my hand. I grinned, and rubbed her slightly. “Please,” she asked softly, barely above a whisper.

I smiled wider, and licked her ear again. “Is your little pussy wet for me?”

She nodded, breathing hard already. “Yes.”

“You ever had a girl lick your pussy before?”

“N-no,” she stammered, as I ground my palm into her harder.

“Anyone?”

“Me and... and Kid Win, once... fooled around a little.”

“Tell me about it, I whispered, nibbling on her earlobe, raising up enough to pull her skirt up, and flipped it over her belly, exposing her panties to me. They were black, with white trim. Extremely cute. I slowly ran my fingers down over the smooth material, feeling the mound of her sex.

“He.. uh... he walked in on me once, when I was in the showers. It was innocent, but... but before he knew I was in the back of the room, he was um.. masturbating... and when I walked in, he asked me if I wanted to help... I told him I didn't know how, so he took my towel off of me, and went down on me. It felt good, but I didn't... ya know.. finish... and then he put his dick in my mouth, and came in it..” she gasped as I ran my index finger up and down the line of her sex through her panties.

“Did you like it when he did that?” I asked.

“Mmm... I didn't mind it, really. It was.. fun,” she said, pressing into my hand a little more. “I've seen Shadow Stalker masturbating before, and it always turned me on... made me wonder what this would be like...”

I kissed her again, and this time she was as eager as I was, her tongue swirling with my own, twisting and caressing one another. I opened my mouth wider and she pressed into me harder...

Meanwhile, behind me, I was vaguely aware that Taylor was on her knees before Brian, sucking on his long dark cock, stroking his long thick shaft slowly with both hands as she licked and sucked on his head, making him groan as he guided her movements up and down with one hand on the top of her head gently. Lisa was watching me closely, and I reached out to her, pulling her in close, then slid Missy's mouth to hers from mine, leaning back a little to feel Lisa's body, running my spare hand over her breasts, squeezing them slightly, over the curve of her hip, feeling her firm thighs...

Shielder appeared next to Lisa, pulling her head over, and her mouth onto his cock. She leaned her shoulder against mine as he pushed her mouth down over his hard shaft, groaning as it sank into the wet, hot orifice. I glanced up at him, then turned my attention back to Missy fully, sliding off her lap to kneel before her. I pulled her bottom to the edge of the chair, and got on my hands and knees, pulling her panties down her slim thighs and tucking them away. Then I lowered my mouth to her hot little sex. She was smooth and bare, not a hair on her, her pussy a clean, smooth slit inbetween her pale, perfect thighs. I kissed her there like I had kissed her mouth, sliding my tongue between her lips and gently exploring her depths, spreading her folds apart as I wiggled my tongue up and down the clean, smooth valley, finding her clit, teasing it out from under it's hood, teasing the entrance to her little fuckhole, then pushing my tongue into it as far as I could, then back up to her clit...

She was wet, and moaning as I licked her, her sweet juices flowing freely and easily. It made me feel extremely good, and I felt my own pussy throb as I got wetter, wanting some attention myself.

That was about when Shielder smacked my bottom, making it jiggle, and pulled Lisa down, putting her on all fours behind me. “Lick her,” he said to Lisa hoarsely.

Lisa looked back at him and smirked, shaking her bottom at him as she ran a hand over my bottom through my leggings, then pulled them halfway down my thighs. I was wearing a sky-blue thong underneath, and she pulled it down as well, then slid her tongue down between my cheeks, teasing across my bottom before finding my soaking pussy, pushing her tongue into me, making me moan into Missy's sex. Shielder groaned as he got on his knees behind Lisa, and undid her pants, pulling them down with a yank, then Lisa gasped into me as he fingered her, getting her pussy ready...

Taylor and Brian were laying on the floor, Taylor on her back with her legs wrapped around his waist. As I watched, I saw his dark cock sliding in and out of her bare pussy, with long, slow strokes while they kissed, their limbs intertwined completely, lost in one another as he slowly fucked her. I felt my pussy clench, and Lisa eased two fingers into my tight passage, scissoring them apart and working them in and out, making me moan loudly into Missy.

Missy bucked against my mouth as I suckled on her small clit, the tiny little pearl of pleasure twisting in my mouth as I rolled it over my tongue, and slid a finger into the entrance of her tight canal. She moaned as she felt my finger slid up inside of her, then gasped as I bumped against her thin membrane, her hymen. I drew back, and finger-fucked her shallowly, careful not to break it yet. I figured it would be better if she gave that to someone a little older than myself...

She cried out in orgasm, writhing under me, and I sucked and licked her harder, sliding my soaked finger down between her bottom cheeks, and pushed it into her other hole. She cried out at that, and came again, a spurt of her cum catching me by surprise as it filled my mouth suddenly with her sweet flavor. I swallowed it down, and sucked up more as it came.

Lisa rocked against my pussy from behind as Shielder pushed his cock into her, and began to fuck her, driving her back and forth into my body. I braced myself, and looked up at Missy, locking eyes with her as I drove her into a third orgasm. As she exploded again, I came with her, feeling the pleasure roll over me, my body clenching on Lisa's fingers, my own cum flooding into Lisa's mouth. I felt her sucking eagerly at my pussyhole, and let myself go, closing my eyes as I came again, squirting a fair amount of girlcum into her mouth. She moaned happily and finger-fucked me harder and faster. Missy pushed me off, unable to take any more, closing her legs and rolling to the side, breathing hard, watching as Shielder fucked Lisa harder and harder. I put my hands forward, and lowered my torso, my eyes rolling up in my head as Lisa rocked into me harder, pushed by his thrusts, laying my head to the side to watch Brian and Taylor..

He was moving in her faster now, bracing himself on his arms and driving his cock into her to the hilt over and over, Taylor gasping and moaning under him, staring into his eyes, then closing them and crying out as she came, her body shaking and writhing against him as she did. Brian grit his teeth as he drover into her harder still, then shook as he came, emptying himself within her orgasmic body. She clutched him as he collasped on her, his hips jerking, driving his still-shooting cock into her harder and deeper. I grinned at him, and he smiled back.

Lisa came with a series of moans and cries, her tongue teasing my bottom, her fingers deep inside my pussy. I closed my eyes and came with her, feeling her slumping as Shielder pulled out of her, and coated her back with his own sticky white cum, spraying wildly out of his jerking cock as he rubbed it between her bottom cheeks.

As the sexual energy frenzy began to calm down, I turned around and cuddled up to Lisa. She wrapped her arms around me, and I kissed her softly, tasting myself on her, and pressed tightly into her grip. Missy blew out a deep breath above me, and whistled softly.

“That... was awesome,” she said.

I glanced up at her. “Welcome to the Undersiders.”

* * * * * * *

Warren stood under the shower spray, letting the water roll down his body, and smiled to himself. Despite all the recent tragedy, it was nice to come home, and know that he had played a direct role in keeping that chaos and destruction from here. Not only that, but he had come back... to a wonderful, enjoyable sex romp with two new girls. His cock twitched slightly as he remembered the feeling of Sophia's tight, bronze ass under him. He was about to shut the shower off, and go back out for another round, when the shower door opened, and there was Sophia, standing in the doorway.

“Want some company?” she asked, softly.

He looked at her for a moment. She was naked, and his cock, already stirring to life at his thoughts, began to harden as his mind took an even more decidedly naughty turn. “Come here,” he said gruffly. She walked in, closing the door behind her. “Miss Militia?”

“Taking a little nap,” Sophia said, glancing up at him. “I thought maybe... me and you...”

“Get on your knees,” he growled. She went down at once, and crawled the last little distance between them, putting her hands on his thighs as she slid up, taking the head of his semi-hard dick in her mouth, and sucking it into her hot little mouth. Without his insistence or pushing, she took the entire length into her throat, and he hardened completely within her. She pulled back, coughing a little, her throat massaging his cock, and he leaned back against the wall, letting her impale her face on his stiff cock again, sliding all the way down, taking him in to the base. She slipped one hand between his legs, caressing and fondling his heavy balls as she deepthroated him, coughing and gagging slightly. She wasn't used to it yet, but at least she knew what he liked. He groaned in encouragement as she did it faster, bobbing up and down his length, sucking fiercely as she pulled back. The shower spray soaked her dark hair, plastering it to her back, slicked her bronze skin, turned her into a wet goddess on her knees..

He reached down and pulled her up, turned so her back was against the wall, and picked her up, his hands holding her firm, full bottom. “Had you ever had anyone fuck you before?”

She looked into his eyes. “In my pussy,” she said.

“But not the ass?”

She shook her head. “Only you.”

He nodded. “Only me. Your ass is mine.”

“Yours,” she agreed at once.

He gave it a healthy squeeze, and rubbed his cock against her slick pussy. She was wet, he noticed, and hot. Her pussy was oozing her slick juices as he rubbed his hard dick between her pussylips. “You're mine. My pet.”

She groaned as his cock rubbed over her clit, and the head nudged against her hole, slipping inside just a little bit. “Your pet,” she agreed breathlessly, and he shoved it inside of her.

“Mine to fuck whenever I want. Mine to command. You. Are. Mine.” He punctuated the last sentence with three hard thrusts, making her grunt as he drove her into the wall.

Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him in deeply, and she moaned loudly. “Yours,” she gasped, agreeing, his cock filling and stretching her tight pussy, driving pure pleasure and sensation through her body.

He fucked her hard and fast, his hips pumping his cock in and out of her quick and hard. She gasped and moaned, crying out as she came on his cock, her cum drenching his thighs. He squeezed her bottom harder, fucking her harder yet...

Then a knock came at the door.

“Warren? You in there?”

He blinked, pausing, his cock sheathed completely in Sophia, and turned off the water. “Yes.”

“It's Victoria. And Amy. We came over to see you, after you slipped away. Miss Militia let us in. She said you were taking a shower, and that Shadow Stalker was here.” There was a slight pause. “Can... can we come in?”

“I'll be right out,” he answered, and slipped out of Sophia, setting her down on shaky legs, and turned away, grabbing a towel and drying himself off quickly, then opened the door, still nude. Victoria was standing there, wearing only lingerie. Sexy blue lace bra, with matching panties, that were tied on her hips in little bows, and matching thigh-high stockings. Behind her stood Amy, in a similar outfit, but hers was yellow. She grinned as she saw his hard cock jutting out at them both, and bit her lip, moving up behind Victoria.

“We thought you might like a victory fuck,” Victoria said, staring at his dick. “We didn't know you'd already had one...”

“Nothing wrong with more,” he growled, and licked Victoria's cheek, before sliding his tongue into her mouth. Amy pressed against her sister's back, and he ran his tongue to her mouth, where she sucked on it eagerly, sliding her hands around Victoria's waist, holding her tightly as he put his arms around both girls, and walked them back out into the main room. Sophia followed, rubbing her pussy with one hand, watching Warren lick the other two girls in various places around their skimpy outfits.

Miss Militia had spread some blankets out on the floor, and was reclined in the middle, fully nude, one leg propped up, so her pussy was clearly visible. He went to her, drawing the other two down with him. He licked up Miss Militia's belly to her breasts, and lavished each nipple with his tongue. She moaned, and arched her back, pressing up against him slightly. Amy and Victoria went to each side, helping one another out of their bras. He caught how Amy's cheeks flushed as she pulled Victoria's bra off, and how her gaze locked on her sister's beautiful pale breasts.

“Have any of you ever been with a girl?” he growled.

They all shook their head. Amy paused, eyes still on Victoria, then flickered to him. “Not like this,” she said softly.

He looked directly at her. “Kiss her,” he said softly. Her eyes shot back to Victoria, who looked at her, a little unsure. He touched her with his power, lowering her inhibitions, opening her up to new sexual ideas and urges. “Kiss her,” he repeated.

Amy slid forward, and Victoria met her halfway, their lips meeting in what began as a chaste kiss... then... deepened. Amy melted into it, opening her mouth as Victoria pressed forward, climbing over Miss Militia to get at her little sister, pressing her back, her tongue sliding between their lips, into Amy's mouth. He watched, riveted, as their hands caressed one another, sliding over their smooth bodies...

Sophia came around and he pulled her head down onto his cock again. She grinned as she engulfed it, taking it into her throat, gagging only a little as it stretched her young throat as he watched Amy slide one hand down into Victoria's blue panties, her fingers working under the tight cloth, sliding into her sister's hot pussy. He growled and pulled Miss Militia forward, so her pussy was under Sophia's mouth, then pulled her off his cock and pushed her down further, so she was licking pussy instead.

Miss Militia gasped, then relaxed as Sophia's tongue slid between her lips, over her clit, teasing her sex into full readyness, her juices oozing out of her hole. He laid his hand on Sophia's hip and formed a thick black tendril, which curved down over her bottom, then forked into two, then with quick precision, thrust into both of her holes, sliding deep within her pussy and ass, widening and undulating within her. She cried out at the sudden double penetration, and moaned loudly, rocking back and forth with the tendrils as they fucked her. Another came from his other hand, wrapping around Miss Militia's hip before sliding under her, and finding her small, puckered opening of her bottom, and pushed its way into it. She groaned, and arched her hips upwards as it flexed within her, widening and vibrating softly within her ass.

Victoria pulled Amy's panties off, and turned her to face Warren. He grinned at her, and touched Victoria's hips, a black tendril warping into position on the front of her panties, clearly cock-like in shape and form. She looked down at it, then up at him, with a smile as she moved behind her smaller sister, pushing her legs open wide.

“Ready to get fucked by your sister?” she asked Amy.

Amy shuddered, and bit her lip, staring up at Warren as she nodded, and Victoria slid her black-tendril-cock into her pussy slowly, pushing in until their hips met, the strap-on style tendril fully sheathed inside of Amy's sexy, tight little body, her mouth hanging open in pure pleasure.

Warren stood, and moved around behind Victoria. Sophia was panting and moaning into Miss Militia's pussy as the two tendrils within her fucked her with an alternating rhythm, making her cum again. She cried out, and Miss Militia wrapped a hand in her hair, pulling her back down insistently to her needy pussy, wanting her tongue and fingers within her even as she got fucked in the ass by her own tendril.

Warren gently pushed Victoria forward and down, until Amy was laying on her belly, with her ass pushed up and legs spread so Victoria could fuck her wet pussy. He peeled her panties off of her wet sex, and laying down behind her, licked the crease of her bottom, sticking his tongue into her tight bottom, wiggling it around and getting it open and lose. Another little tendril snaked into her small passage, and grew inside of her, pushing the tight ring open as he tongued her pussy behind the fake cock, getting a taste of both her and Amy as her juices down down the surface of the cock, dripping onto his tongue. Both girls moaned loudly and Victoria continued their incestuous coupling, slowly moving the cock in and out of Amy's dripping sex.

When he couldn't stand it anymore, and needed fulfillment, he straightened behind Victoria, pushed her cheeks apart with both hands, and replaced the tendril in her bottom with his cock, pushing it into her until he was fully embedded up her bottom. She groaned and clenched around him, trying to adjust to the feeling up his large dick up her backside. She moaned as he reached around her and squeezed her breasts, licking her neck and ears, then turned her head, and stuck his tongue into her mouth.

She sucked on it eagerly, despite the fact that it had just been buried in both her bottom and her pussy, and he groaned, flexing his hips, dragging his cock out and then pushing it back into her extremely hot and tight hole. She groaned and began to move in Amy more, rocking herself on his cock, sliding it in out and of her tight ass while she fucked Amy's pussy.

Amy moaned and came, and Victoria pulled her hair, arching the girl's back as she drove the fake cock into her harder, fucking herself on Warren's thick hard shaft faster and harder at the same time.

Sophia collapsed as she came in an endless string of orgasms, the tendrils within her not stopping, but picking up the pace, fucking her into a senseless state of bliss. Miss Militia ground her pussy harder against the girl's face, then took to fingering herself hard and fast as she watched the three-way fuck next to her, the tendril in her ass moving faster, the vibrations increasing and driving her over the edge hard.

Amy came again, and again, screaming and panting and moaning under the two above her. Victoria moaned and panted, and then Warren grabbed her hips, pumping his cock in and out of her backside hard and fast, panting himself as he felt his orgasm building in a tremendously explosive manner within him...

It came on him suddenly, and he bucked into her, slamming his cock home, making Victoria howl as he literally exploded within her, seeing stars dance around his eyes, his entire body going rigid as he bucked harder and harder into the poor girl's ass, his cock shooting what felt like an entire gallon of his hot cum right up into her belly.

When at last it passed, he came to laying on his side, Victoria's bum still pressed tightly into his groin, his softening cock still up inside of her. The girls were all spent, laying and breathing hard, trying to regather their wits. He didn't even try, wrapping an arm around Victoria, holding her against him while Amy curled against her front, and let himself slip into a quick nap.

He had earned it, after all....

* * * * * * *

I spun the suit around the building, and KC opened the windows for me, and I glided into the room, setting down just inside. KC had already sent the signal to close the windows behind me, and by the time I had popped the hatch and jumped out, the windows were closed again. It had only been a couple of days since we'd been back in Brockton Bay, but New Wave had sent over professional installers to put in new windows. These new windows were tinted, shatter and bullet proof, and were installed on a track to open in one area to allow me to fly my suit directly into, and out off, the apartment. Having it here was an awesome feeling, I noted as I walked into the bedroom, stripping off my costume.

Once I had re-dressed in a comfortable pair of shorts and a tanktop, I came back into the living room. Missy and Lisa were sitting on the couch, watching some silly sitcom and giggling at the jokes. I joined them, pulling my new laptop over. It had been a gift, from Lady Photon, for what I had done in San Francisco. It was as high-powered as laptops came, and after figuring out how to write a basic operating system (which had taken me the better portion of an afternoon) I had a fully customized laptop. I had taken my data off my desktop computer, and installed my custom operating system on it as well, and then paired the two computers wirelessly and bought a server, which was hidden in the closet of the bedroom, to upload files to in a safe and secure location. The computers powered the entire apartment now, my original plan having seen full fruition, and I had devised a self-sustaining power supply for them, to ensure my personal network never dropped, if something happened to the city's power supply.

The network was run by KC, whom I had also given a series of software upgrades that I had taken from Dragon's coding. While I was extremely careful in the writing of the intelligence software to avoid creating another AI like Dragon herself, keeping KC a standard issue... well... perhaps not so standard, as it was probably by now only a step or two behind Dragon herself, VI, I had advanced the processing power exponentially, and once again expanded the reach of my wireless signal with booster antennae that were wired directly into the building itself, hijacking satellite dishes and basic hardware to broadcast my signal as well.

The result was that I was now always in touch with anyone I wanted to be within the entire city of Brockton Bay, never more than a click away from anyone who needed me. I pulled out my phone, and laid it next to me as I began to shop. All the upgrades had, of course, meant I had needed to upgrade my armor with new subsystems, which required more materials. I had long since run out of the materials Lisa had given me what seemed like a lifetime ago, and so I was purchasing new, pulling interest out of my safe accounts and funneling it into my spending accounts to buy things.

Lisa watched me for a moment, then settled for leaning against me, and watching the show instead, content with the fact that I was there with her.

Missy had become pretty much a permanent fixture in our apartment as well. While officially she lived across the hall with her parents, she rarely spent any time with them, instead choosing to spend the vast majority with us since the day at the New Wave celebration. I didn't mind. She was cute, and funny, and generally a really good person. I found I liked spending time with her, and talking powers. She had a lot more experience with the physicality of her abilities than I had. And while we soon discovered a few key differences between our abilities (mainly that her speed was drastically affected when there were living things in the area, and mine was not, but also the experience factor, where she had thought of doing things I had not yet), we got along really well, shared notes, and were helping one another grow both as individuals and as heroes.

I tapped a news column on my laptop, finishing my shopping, and flicked through the headlines. Most were focused on the aftermath of the plague, and restoration efforts that were underway across the planet. A few were focused on more local events, talking about this or that to do with criminal activity (which was at an all-time low in the city, which meant that restoration efforts in the Docks were actually making some good headway for the first time in recent memory) and other events.

I clicked through a few, and brought up a private notification about the tenants of our building.

“Interesting...” I mused aloud.

Lisa glanced over at me. “What is?”

“Emma. Remember her?”

Lisa nodded. “Hard to forget, really.”

I was silent for a moment, reading the rest of my notification, then looked up at her. “She just moved in.”

“Moved in?”

“Yeah. To the building. Here.”

Lisa sat upright quickly. “You're joking.”

“Nope.” I turned the screen, showed her list of new tenants. “Our floor, too. Looks like she's about four doors down.”

Lisa whistled softly. “Let's hope Taylor doesn't find out.”

“Nothing we can do about it?”

Lisa shook her head. “Not legally, without reason. As long as she doesn't break the lease, or get caught doing something illegal, she's going to be here whether we like it or not now.”

I frowned, thinking about it for a moment. “It doesn't list her parents here. What do you think that means?”

Lisa concentrated for a moment. “Could be one of a couple things. Most logical, she's living on her own because her parents left Brockton Bay. There's a lot of opportunity on the West Coast right now, but with all the recent upheaval, it's also in a state of organized chaos. There aren't many schools and the like currently operating. They probably made arrangements to have her stay here, and in school, with local authorities, while her parents go out west to take advantage of the situation if they can. Not quite as logical, she found out Taylor lives here, and moved in for spite.”

“I would hate to think anyone would do something like that,” I said softly. “It seemed... Iunno. I had a weird feeling about her that night we ran into her with her friends.” I fell silent for a moment, Lisa studying me. “I got the feeling that she was going through something, which was affecting her decisions. Being someone she's not. Playing a role. Maybe... maybe this is an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive?”

Lisa frowned. “I admire your optimism on the situation, really, I do, but she comes from shitty stock. Her dad is responsible for keeping criminals out of jail and on the street. He feigns civil cases, but the higher tier cases he has taken in his career have all given him a questionable reputation in the proper circles. He's rather highly sought after in villain circles.”

“Because of Shadow Stalker?” I asked.

Lisa nodded. “Primarily. That's his most prominent case to date, but it's not his only one along those lines. Suffice it to say, he's a pretty shady individual.”

I worded my next statement carefully. “The same could have been said about us, a few weeks ago,” I said softly. “Until we know the situation fully, I think it's best to withhold full judgment.”

Missy, listening, but having stayed quiet up to this point, put in, “She's right you know. The Wards were extremely wary of the Undersiders for a while. We didn't look forward to going up against you guys at all. Now that I know you, I can understand what made you guys stronger than average.”

Lisa looked at her. “What's that?”

“You guys genuinely cared. About one another, about sticking to things, not sacrificing whatever it took to get a job done. That made it hard to fight you, because you protected one another. Other villain groups don't fight like you. They're more about themselves. Focus on one, and the others will let you. Try to pick you off from the sides. It makes it easy to train for tactics. But with the Undersiders, if we tried to focus on one, we found ourselves defending instead, because the rally around whoever was threatened was harsh.”

Lisa smiled. “Never thought of it like that. Thanks for the perspective.”

Missy beamed. “Welcome.”

I re-read the notification. “I think I'm going to go talk to her. See what's up.”

Lisa immediately shook her head. “No. That's interfering. Taylor wouldn't approve.”

“I won't mention Taylor. I just want to see if she knows what she's getting into, try to get a feel for her motives, why she's here.”

Lisa sighed. “Fine. But, I'm coming with you. Maybe my power will pick up something you don't.”

Which was how we found ourselves, only a few minutes later, knocking on Emma's door. She answered it, and her face went from curious to “aw shit” in half a second flat. “You,” she said flatly, looking right at Lisa.

I ignored that, and smiled. “Hi. You're new to our building, so I thought we would stop by, say hello.”

She looked at me, then did a doubletake. I had stopped using my projector glasses, opting for more normal frames, and letting my eyes go undisguised. “You're... the girl... San Francisco...”

I nodded. “Yeah. That's me. Twilight.” I smiled again, and held up a hand. “And you're Emma. We met briefly a while ago. On the street.”

“I remember.”

“So you'll understand then, why we wanted to stop by.” After a few moments of her not taking my hand, I lowered it. “I want to emphasize, we're good guys. We don't want to cause problems, or get into any fights. I'm genuinely curious about a couple things, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a couple questions. I'd like for us to end up friends.” I smiled brightly, and she stared at me for a long time, without saying a thing.

Her face was the very image of conflicting emotions. She went from unsettled to curious to angry and back to curious over the span of about twenty seconds, then finally sighed, stepping aside and letting us walk in. She shut the door behind us. “Okay,” she finally said. “Guess whatever you have to ask won't be too bad.”

Lisa spoke before I had a chance. “What's your connection to Shadow Stalker?”

Me and Emma both started. I hadn't expected that question, but had to trust it was Lisa's power guiding her to ask, to pick information out of the air.

“My dad took her case, and...”

“Yeah, that everyone knows. I'm asking about _you_.”

Emma frowned, then sighed. “Have a seat. This is a conversation I've known was coming for a long time, dreaded, and still not figured out what to say. I guess, in a way, it's kind of a good thing I don't really know you. It makes this easier to talk about.” We sat, and she cleared her throat. “So. Taylor and I used to be friends. Really good friends. When her mom died, Taylor went through a lot. She changed. She wasn't the happy kid that I enjoyed spending time with anymore.”

“The loss of a parent can do that to a kid,” Lisa said softly. “But go on.”

Emma nodded. “So, one day, she was at some summer camp thing, and she called me. She was slowly getting back to herself, and I liked that. She was becoming my friend again... but something else happened. I was... attacked. Some ABB thugs attacked me and my dad one afternoon. They dragged me out of the car, hurt me... if I was ever going to have a trigger event... that would have been it. I would have died, if not for Shadow Stalker. Or worse. I don't know what all they planned to do, other than killing me. Maybe rape? Hurting me before they did it? I don't know. I was scared, and shaken so bad... I didn't talk to anyone for a few days. I couldn't. I couldn't shake the fear, the fact that my entire world had been eradicated in a matter of seconds.

“In that moment, I understood suddenly how Taylor had felt when her mom had died. The peaceful lies we tell ourselves fall away, and we get exposed to the brutal realities of the world... it's not something a kid of any age should ever have to face so sudden, so drastically. I promised myself I would be stronger than Taylor. I wouldn't succumb to that same numb nothingness that had claimed her. Shadow Stalker was my friend. My only friend.”

“Sophia,” Lisa said abruptly, a little bit of revelation in her voice.

Emma looked at her sharply, then nodded. “Yeah. You're on the same side, so I guess there's no harm in you knowing, right? Well. She was my friend, a strong friend, at the time when I needed strength. But lately, I've begun to understand... she isn't strong at all. She's cruel, she's mean, because she's weak. She pushes herself, because she's weak. Whatever happened to her, to make her trigger, to make her a cape, she's never told me. But whatever it was fucked with her head in a way that's beyond me. If I had triggered that night, perhaps things would be different.”

Lisa frowned. “So you turned on your friend of years, because you wanted to be stronger than her?”

Emma nodded. “I never said what I did was perfect, or the way things should be done. I've made mistakes. I'm sure you've made some too. But how can I undo what's been done, how can I tell her things have changed? How can I ever begin to make amends with something that I don't fully comprehend myself?”

“That's easy,” I said. “You start somewhere. Anywhere. And the rest will come. All it takes is that first step. And it's not nearly so big or scary as it may seem.”

Emma stared at me for a long time. “You really weren't lying when you said you aren't a kid.”

I smiled. “Nope. I'm a Tinker. And we're fucking brilliant.”

“Language,” Lisa admonished softly. I smiled at her.

Emma studied her hands for a moment. “If you're still friends with Taylor, maybe you could tell her for me, let her know... that I'm sorry. That I've handled a lot of shit poorly in my life, that I would be interested in making some type of amends.”

I smiled slightly. “Or you could tell her yourself.” Inspiration struck me suddenly, and I knew it had the potential to make Taylor really, really mad at me... but... on the other hand, it just might work. “She lives in this building too, you know. She's here, right now. I can call her, have her come up.”

Emma looked at me for a long moment, then nodded, looking back at her hands. “Okay.”

“Be right back,” I said, and stood, slipping into the hall. I tapped my earpiece. “Skitter... this is Twilight. You there?”

“Hey Twilight. Yeah. What's up?” she answered quickly.

“Hey, can you come up to our apartment? Um. In costume, please.”

“Sure. Why?”

“Someone I'd like you to meet. Make it soon?”

“Be right there.”

I only stood there waiting for about three minutes before the elevator dinged, and Skitter walked out, in full costume. I smiled. She cocked her head to the side slightly, noting I wasn't in costume myself. I swallowed hard. Do or die time...

“So. There's someone here I want you to meet. It's important that once you go inside, you make the decision to take off your mask or not. Okay. Full disclosure; you know this person already. They know you're coming up. But they don't know that you're... you. Skitter. This person is very interested in making amends for something, but I think it's important that we take the first step on this. Do you trust me?”

She nodded slowly. “Yes, but you're making me nervous.”

“I'm sorry for that, but... trust me here, okay? If you can't take off the mask, I understand. But I think if you do, you'll get something that you've wanted for a long time.”

Taylor nodded slowly, and I took a deep breath, opened the door, and pushed her in before me, shutting the door behind me. My stomach was a ball of pure nerves, as Taylor waited just inside. I walked around the corner, leading the way. Taylor rounded the corner, her eyes landed on Emma, and she froze.

Emma looked up, and saw Skitter. I could see it in her eyes that for a moment, she thought I was tricking her, that this was an attack, and fear flashed through her eyes, before confusion. Skitter was one of the good guys... I could see the realization rolling through her head. She looked to Lisa, who was watching her as closely as I was. Then the lights turned on, and her mouth fell open as she stared at Skitter again.

Taylor slowly, stiffly, reached up, and pulled her mask off. She pulled her glasses out of the compartment on her back, and slipped them on. “Hi, Emma,” she said stiffly.

I bit my lip, watching Emma's reactions. Then she stood, and stepped closer to Taylor, clasping her hands before her. “You're.... you.... you're a cape,” Emma said softly. Taylor nodded. “Taylor... I.... I've been a horrible person to you.” Emma bit her lip, and tears suddenly filled her eyes. “I've lied to you. I've treated you terribly. I can't expect you to ever, in your life, forgive me for—”

“I've already forgiven you, Emma,” Taylor said. “You're not wrong. You have done some pretty shitty things in the past few years, and I've hated you, but... you were my friend first. I won't lie and say nothing you did ever hurt. Cause it did. A lot. But... you were my friend. And so for that, I forgive you. I can't pretend to understand why you've done it, however.”

Emma cracked, and spilled the entire story she had just told me and Lisa, tears running down her cheeks. Taylor listened in silence, then... “They hurt you? When you hung up on me when I called you that time... you were being attacked? And... you never told me?”

“I couldn't.... I couldn't tell anyone. I had to be better, and I convinced myself, let Sophia convince me... that to be strong, I couldn't go to anyone. You have no idea how badly I wanted to cry on your shoulder that first time I saw you, when you came over, and Sophia was there... how badly I wanted to just give in, and confess everything. But... I didn't. I was being 'strong.' And I was an idiot. I was terrible. And I am so, so, _so_ sorry, Taylor. I love you. You've always been stronger than I could have ever been.”

Taylor paused for a long moment. This was it. The moment of made-or-broke.

And then she wrapped Emma in a hug, and let Emma cry on her shoulder, as he had wanted so long ago.

 


	14. Chapter 14

The next couple of days seemed to float past for Warren. Things were quiet in Brockton Bay, and he liked that. A little bit of time to kick back after the major excitement that had slammed his life all at once. Little bit of time to enjoy the view from his apartment window, to sit and watch life flow around him, to hear the positive words being spoken all around. It was good.

Sitting on the couch, with his cock firmly lodged in Sophia's throat while she deepthroated him made it even better. He leaned his head back, wrapping one hand in her dark hair, and pulled her down harder while he pushed his hips up, groaning as she swallowed constantly around him, her throat rippling and massaging his hard shaft. He moaned as she pulled back, drawing in a deep breath around him, her mouth opening around his dick so she could suck in a quick few breaths, then he pushed her back down, sliding his cock back into her throat, bobbing her up and down quickly. She was naked, as he required her to be while in his apartment. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and let himself go, erupting into her throat, pouring his load directly down into her belly. She coughed slightly as he let her pull up, so just the head of his dick was in her mouth, and stroked her cheek again. She licked him clean, and then rocked back on her heels.

“Was it good, master?” she asked softly.

He nodded, and stroked her cheek. “Very good, pet. You may cum.” He flicked his fingers, and summoned a black tendril, that snaked down from his fingers, and thrust up into her pussy from below. Her eyes went wide, and she drew a deep breath as she felt it swell inside of her, stretching her out, moving within her like its own living entity, rolling and twisting within her, vibrating softly. She spread her legs and leaned forward, breathing hard and fast as he tweaked the intensity up, watching her hips twitch and roll as he made the tendril move faster, working it in and out of her wet sex, then her face as her eyes rolled back and she came, her mouth hanging open as the orgasm shook through her lithe body.

He dismissed the tendril, and stood, pulling his jeans up and doing them quickly as she lay on her stomach on the floor, breathing hard and trying to recollect herself. He smiled slightly, and walked away, leaving her there. It had become something of a daily occurrence with her, in one way shape or form. She let him use her body as he wished, and when he was done taking his pleasures from her, he gave her an orgasm with his powers. She was completely obedient, perfectly submissive...

He would never have imagined being in this situation with Sophia, of all people, before it had come to pass. It spoke volumes, he figured, towards her mental state, the depleted mental health she was suffering, and the way her mind was fractured. He didn't care, on one hand. He knew using her was probably morally questionable, even reprehensible. But she had earned this, deserved every deprived act he made her do, and then some.

A soft knock sounded at his door, and he walked over to see who it was. Taylor stood on the other side. She was looking rather good, in a bright top that accented the curve of her waist, even left a bit of her smooth belly on display, and jeans that hugged her hips, made her look even hotter than she normally was. He smiled at her, and she gave a quick smile back. “Hey,” she said.

“Hello, Taylor. Come in.”

She walked in, turning to face him, her back to the rest of the apartment. He saw Sophia over her shoulder, standing and staring in shock and confusion. “I was wondering, about a couple things,” Taylor began. “I didn't really know who to ask, or where to start, so I thought I would... start here. Asking others what they thought.”

“About what?”

“Getting powers, trigger events.” He tensed slightly. It was completely impossible that she knew about the briefcase in his closet, but the fact that he knew so much _more_ than he was able to say made conversations like this one exceptionally hard to have.

“I'm afraid I don't follow.”

Taylor bit her lip, then paced back and forth before him a little bit. “I mean, we know what causes trigger events, right? Traumatic events, things that 'break' people, so to speak. Instead of going insane, or something, though, some people get powers. But... is it possible to have an event, something terrible happen, not trigger, and then go through another event, and this time actually have a trigger event, and get powers? Or is a one-time thing, where people get powers, or don't?”

He blinked. “Taylor... this is a really deep line of questioning. I don't know,” he said. And he didn't. Even outside knowledge, from his previous life, wasn't really prepared to answer this question. He assumed things, of course, had drawn conclusions based on what he did know. But those weren't for sure things, and even if they were, he wouldn't be able to discuss them.

She nodded. “I know, I know. I'm just... trying to think. If you had a friend, that wanted to do something, to become part of this, of our group, and... that friend had had a trigger event circumstance happen to her but didn't get powers, do you think it would be possible for that friend to undergo a second, and get powers then? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

He frowned. “Hypothetically?” She nodded. “I don't think so.” Her shoulders wilted. “There are... other... ways to get powers, however,” he said carefully, again treading into the careful grey area of current knowledge versus previous.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there are... things, that... well. I don't know a lot about them, to be perfectly honest. I'm not entirely sure how they work, but there are things that you can ingest, that will give people powers. Certain types give certain abilities, but that's really about all I know.”

Her eyes lit up. “Do you know where I can get one?”

“They're really expensive. Talking hundreds of thousands here,” he said. “Not easily attainable, and usually come with strings attached.”

She frowned. “Kelsey has money... I wonder if maybe she would be willing to buy one... I could find a way to pay her back, of course. Maybe. If... if we can even find a way to buy it.”

“Taylor... why do you want one? I thought you were speaking in hypotheticals here.”

She winced. “Okay, you caught me. So, my friend... well. She used to be my friend, but then, things changed a few years back, shortly after my mother died, and she stopped being my friend. I just found out why, and got answers, and she's interested in changing her life. She said she wants to do something real and meaningful, to make up for the wrongs she's done in life.” Emma. He was instantly, beyond any and all doubt, absolutely positive that she meant Emma. But he remained quiet, and let her go on. “She fell in with the wrong crowd, but she knows that now. She wants to change. Genuinely. It's not just me being hopeful and naive, I swear, she's really committed to being a better person. You... you believe me, right?”

He smiled, though he harbored his own private doubts. “Of course, Taylor. Who is this friend?” He asked his, perfectly aware of how rigid Sophia was standing behind her, staring daggers at Taylor's back. A new plan was coming to fruition in his mind.

“Emma. She—”

“The fuck?” Sophia blurted, and Taylor jumped, spinning around, landing in a defensive stance. She must not have had any bugs in his apartment, he belatedly noticed. Otherwise she would have known someone else was in the room. “The fuck did you do to Emma?”

Taylor's eyes narrowed, then shot wide open. “Why are you naked?”

Sophia glanced down, and her dark cheeks flushed hotly. “Never-fucking-mind why,” she growled. “Answer me.”

“Now, now, pet,” Warren admonished her. “Hush. That's no way to speak to your master's friend, is it?” He stepped in her direction. “On your knees, and ask her to forgive you.”

“B.... yes, master,” she said meekly, catching the fire blazing in his eyes, and went to her knees, bowing her head submissively. “Please forgive me.”

“Please forgive me....?”

“... Taylor?” she tried.

He shook his head. “No. Try again. But know there are limits to my patience.”

“Please forgive me... mistress?”

He smiled. “Better.” He turned to Taylor. If her eyes had been wide before, they were nearly falling out of her head now. “Taylor, I believe you already know my pet, Sophia. Also known as Shadow Stalker.” He caught the slight jerk of Sophia's shoulders as he casually revealed her caped identity, and to someone she hated, nonetheless, but she remained still. “Do you want to forgive her?”

“Forgive her? _Her_? She's made life a living hell, tormented me for no reason, took my friend away from me, fed her lies, messed up her life, and it's taken a lot, and I do mean a _lot_ of self control for me to not feed her spiders everyday since I've gotten my powers. I don't want to forgive her. Or even see her.”

He nodded. “I see. And, I understand. See, pet... Taylor here, is Skitter. And a very good personal friend of mine.” He stepped around behind Taylor, putting an arm around her shoulders. Taylor was tense, stiff, and angry, glaring at Sophia, breathing hard, the very straining image of self control stretched to its very limits. “And I believe turn about is fair play.” He gently nudged Taylor forward, walking her around the couch, before Sophia's kneeling form. “What's even worse than tormenting someone who doesn't deserve it?” he pondered aloud. “Hmm. Perhaps... pleasuring that same person, as a form of penance.” He eyed Taylor. “Would you like Sophia here to beg to lick your pussy?”

As he said it, he touched Taylor with his power, making her a little more open to suggestions, and saw the smile pull at the corners of her mouth as she considered his offer. “I think that sounds like a good start.”

“As do I. Pet, beg.”

Sophia glanced between the two of them, her face struggling to remain calm. “Why?”

He slammed his power on her mind, breaking her will. She slumped slightly as his sexual power overrode her senses. “Because I said, pet. And I do not like repeating myself.”

“P... please... let... let me lick... lick you,” she said softly, looking at Taylor.

“No, not nearly convincing enough. Beg for it.”

“Please let me lick you,” she repeated, a little stronger, putting a slight whine in it.

“Lick what, pet?”

“Her pussy,” she said, her eyes not leaving Taylor. They had drifted downwards until they were boring into Taylor's midsection, locked on the pale expanse of her midriff left bare by her top.

“I don't feel inclined to let you yet,” Taylor said simply, crossing her arms.

“Please! I want to lick your pussy, taste you, make you cum...”

“Why?” Taylor demanded.

“Because I've been terrible to you. I've been a bitch. I want to make you feel good, to show you I can be good...” she whined more, lowering herself, groveling at Taylor's feet. “Please let me show you I can make you feel good.”

Taylor was silent for a moment, so Warren moved around behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, and unsnapped her jeans, pulling down the zipper slowly, and peeled the tight, form-fitting jeans slowly down her hips. She was wearing light green panties underneath, with a lazy waistband and a little lacy design on the front panel. She bit her lip as he pushed them down, then sat on the couch, pushing them down to her ankles. Sophia crawled forward as Warren shot her a pointed look, and took her shoes off, then lifted one leg, pulling the jeans off, then the other, and carefully laid the clothing to the side. Warren took Taylor by the hips, and gently pulled her down into his lap. Despite the fact that he had just recently cum, he felt his cock stirring to life as her smooth, firm bottom rested against it, the smooth material of her panties rubbing over his pants. He ran his hands down her thighs, and lifted them, spreading her legs open, draping her legs on either side of his own, and spreading his own legs, so she was spread like a buffet. He wrapped one arm around her middle, his palm flat against her belly, and gently drew her back against his chest. She relaxed against him while Sophia crawled between their spread legs, staring at Taylor's pussy, covered only by the thin material.

“Are you ready, Taylor?” he asked softly in her ear.

She nodded, and bit her lip harder as Sophia kissed her way up one smooth thigh, raising her hands, rubbing her slit with one hand through the cloth, feeling the heat beginning to radiate from her center. She kissed and licked her way slowly up Taylor's inner thigh, then snuck her fingers in under the leg band of her panties, and felt Taylor's smooth skin, bare and unblemished, gently rubbing her lips, pressing them open just enough to let her finger inside, feeling her soft folds, tracing the hood of her clit, coaxing it out, then down, around her hole, feeling the moisture gathering there as her arousal increased. She sucked on the very top of her thigh, then pulled the panties aside, into the crease of her thigh, and stuck out her tongue, very slowly running her tongue slowly across the surface of her sex, from the very bottom to the very top, then back down, pressing in slightly, parting her delicate lips and sliding her tongue into her folds.

Taylor's breathing began to quicken, and Warren's cock hardened fully under her bottom as he watched Sophia slowly began to tongue her small pussy. He pulled Taylor's top up, and found her bra matched the panties. He pushed the cups down, baring her small breasts, and covered each with a hand, feeling her hard nipples against his palms as he squeezed and carressed her flesh. She moaned slightly and arched her back, pressing her lower body into Sophia's mouth and her chest into his hands. He licked her neck, up to her ears, teasing them with the tip of his tongue, then flicked across her cheek. She turned her head, and his tongue slid into her mouth, where she sucked on it gently, rocking her hips slightly, her bottom rubbing against his cock deliciously. He shuddered slightly, and squeezed her breasts harder, making her moan around his tongue. Afraid of knicking her tender skin with his claws, he summoned small black tendrils, which wrapped around her hard, small nipples, and squeezed and undulated across them, mimicking sucking sensations that made her moan again.

Below, Sophia was tongue-fucking her in earnest as Taylor got wetter and wetter, her juices flowing freely now, her pussy a hot little sauna as Sophia pushed her tongue up inside of her as far as she could, while rubbing her clit with her thumb in small circles, pressing it and letting up in turns, the varying pressures sending shocks of sensation through the girl's core.

Warren increased the pressure on her nipples, making the girl rock her hips harder, moaning louder, her orgasm rapidly approaching. Sophia slid up, taking her clit into her mouth, moving her hand down, and pressing two fingers into her pussy, finger-fucking her hard and fast, stroking her G-spot rapidly with quick motions, making Taylor moan and cry out, then arch upwards as she did cum. Sophia didn't stop, though Warren did let go of her breasts—but left the tendrils on her nipples, doing their thing—and reached between them, undoing his pants, pushing them down a little bit, enough to let his cock out, so it was rubbing against the smooth material of her panties directly. He could feel the heat and moisture of her sex, and groaned as she pushed her bottom into it harder, grinding on his lap. He lifted her up just a little, and Sophia pulled her panties down, closing Taylor's legs for a second while she whipped the material off of her, then pushed her back to where she had been, snaking one hand around Warren's cock, pulling it forward, so the top of his cock was now pressed against the bottom of Taylor's pussy.

“Do you want me to fuck you?” he asked.

She nodded. “Please?”

Sophia ran her tongue up the bottom of his cock, making it jerk slightly, then aligned him with her entrance. He pushed his hips up, and slid his cock into Taylor's hot, tight, wet pussy, filling her completely, stretching her as he slid in to the hilt. She moaned, and leaned forward, bracing herself with her hands on his knees, and began to move, grinding her hips in long, slow strokes, moving back and forth, moaning as she did so. Sophia lowered her mouth to where their bodies joined, licking cock and pussy at the same time, swirling her tongue around Taylor's clit as she moved slowly. Warren groaned and began to raise and lower Taylor with his hands on her waist, lifting her up and letting her drop back down on him. She cried out softly as his cock slid in and out of her while Sophia moved with the fucking motions, sucking on her clit steadily.

Warren bucked his hips upwards, driving his cock in to Taylor's body to the hilt, and she came again, shuddering and clenching on him, her juices running down his shaft. Sophia's quick tongue caught some of the stream, and he began to pound her in earnest, holding her up while his hips hammered up into her, again and again, making her pant and moan and cry out as he drew out her orgasm for a long time, driving her mad with pure pleasure.

Then, he was cumming, gritting his teeth as his hips moved faster and faster, slamming his cock up into her, feeling her soft cervix cradling the head of his cock as he fired spurt after spurt of his hot cum directly through it, filling her small womb, overflowing her pussy and running out of her. Sophia's tongue stayed busy, licking up every drop that escaped from Taylor's body, and when they finally relaxed, and his cock slipped out of her pussy, she sucked him into her mouth, licking him clean, then licked and sucked his cum, as much as she could, from Taylor's pussy as well, slurping it down until Taylor finally reached down and pushed her away.

She was breathing hard, still watching Sophia as she sat back on her heels, patiently waiting for her next order from her master. Taylor shivered slightly against Warren, and pulled her legs closed, standing up, reaching for her panties, and pulled them back up, covering herself up. She fixed her bra, and pulled her top down, then picked up her jeans, and put them back on.

“I... need to go back upstairs to the others. They're waiting for me, to see what you thought. I'll um... tell them what you said.” Her eyes flickered to Sophia. “Do you... plan on keeping her?”

Warren glanced at Sophia. “Pet, go take a shower,” he said. Sophia stood and left immediately. He pulled up his pants, and tucked himself away, then stood. “I don't know, honestly,” he said after they heard the water start. “It's been nice having her around, I can't lie. And she's better here than out running free, if what she was doing to you is how she acts all the time.”

Taylor nodded. “I get that, in a way... but it doesn't seem very...” she trailed off.

“Moral?” Warren suggested, then shrugged. “Perhaps it isn't. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll send her away. But I haven't forced her to be here. She wants this, in a way. Craves it. I think part of her attitude is because she lacked a dominant in her life. Someone to guide her, direct her. It is my belief that with some work, I may actually be able to help her.”

“She... you didn't force her into this?” Taylor asked.

Warren shook his head. “She came to it naturally. You know I'm dominant. You saw me with Bitch. She's much the same, although she's also fiercely independent. She just needs a touch, every once in a while, a reminder of who she is, where she ranks in the greater scheme of things. That's all. Sophia is a little more complex. She needs this type of guidance always, until her mind recovers, somewhat. She's a broken individual. Very... scarred.” Again treading into dangerous gray area, but he was a rather good judge of people, and had picked up a lot of her personality in person, while he was here, and interacting with her. “I'm not sure of all the sordid details of her past. I'm not sure if I want to know. But, I do know that whatever she's been through has been, to put it lightly, traumatic. She needs structure.”

Taylor nodded. “I trust you. If you think you can help her... do it. But... I don't know if I'm comfortable interacting with her again. Especially like what just happened.”

Warren nodded. “I can respect that.”

Taylor smiled, genuinely. “Thanks. And... uh... thanks for...”

“The sex?” he winked.

She nodded, blushing slightly. “Yeah. That.”

“Anytime, beautiful.” She turned to head out, and without really knowing why, he reached out and stopped her. “Taylor. Wait. Let me go grab you something.”

She stopped, looking a little confused while he went to his room, opened the closet, and pulled out the briefcase. He unlocked it, popped it open, and reviewed the contents for only the second time. Five vials sat in a row, stoppered with a rubber plug sealed by wax. There weren't any labels, or any way to tell the five apart. He had no idea which would do what, what type of powers they would give, or any details on them whatsoever. After running his hand back and forth across them, he plucked up the middle one, and put the case away, carefully hiding it away. He stashed the vial in a pocket, then went back to the main room.

“Before I give this to you, I need you to agree to a couple conditions.”

She looked at him curiously. “Give what to me?”

“You'll see... if you agree.”

“Okay...” she said slowly, clearly confused. “What am I agreeing to?”

“You can't tell anyone other than the girls where you got this from. By the girls, I mean Lisa and Kelsey. Not even Emma. This is vitally important. Secondly, don't ask me how I got it, I can't answer you even if you do. And three.... I don't know exactly what will happen, or what to expect, so keep that in mind if you do decide to use it.”

Her eyes widened as she put two and two together, coming up with her conclusion. “You... have one of those things you were talking about? That give powers?”

He nodded, and pulled out the vial. “Do you agree to what I asked?”

She nodded, solemn. “Yes. I won't tell, besides Lisa, who would probably figure it out anyway. And I won't ask, and I understand you can't give more clear advice. Maybe Lisa's power will come in handy.”

He nodded, and handed her the vial. She took it carefully, cradling it in her hands. “That's my hope, too,” he said softly. “Oh, and Taylor?” She looked up at him. He could have sworn he saw the faintest glimmer of tears in her eyes. “Good luck.”

* * * * * * *

I popped the candy into my mouth, and nudged Missy, who was sitting next to me. We were watching some stupid cartoon, and while both of us were firmly of the opinion that were not kids, and not to be treated as one....... who the hell can resist candy and cartoons? She giggled as she popped a hard candy in her mouth too, and we leaned back, sitting basically in one another's lap, our legs tangled as they swung, our hips pressed against one another.

It had been a little boring, after all, sitting around waiting on Taylor. She had decided to go ask a few people for second opinions after her little conversation with Emma and Lisa and Missy and I. None of us had been of the opinion that it was possible to undergo a second potential trigger event and trigger that time, when someone hadn't the first time. Clearly, second trigger events were a possibility, depending upon the circumstances and the person, as capes usually went through traumatic experiences and some would trigger a second time, getting their powers enhanced, or sometimes picking up entirely new abilities that they hadn't had before. I wondered idly would I would get, if I were to undergo a second trigger event, but... I wasn't too keen on the idea of looking for one to find out.

But, Emma had asked to be a part of what we were doing, and Taylor was determined to find a way to get her powers, so she could help more directly. Lisa had suggested immediately that we could definitely use someone to stay behind and monitor the situation with KC helping, and help coordinate while we were in the field, especially if the Undersiders and New Wave were working together in the field. Emma had leapt at that idea, saying it suited her fine, since she didn't have powers, and she had accepted the rest of our opinions, not eager herself to look for another event that might trigger her. Taylor was determined, though... to find some way to do it, and so off she had went.

“This show is so stupid,” Missy muttered, shaking her head at the TV. “Like... who even thinks of stupid crap like that?”

I giggled. “Iunno. It is pretty dumb. Wanna find something else to watch?”

She nodded. “God yes!”

I giggled again, and fished around for the remote, and spotted it on her other side. Instead of just pointing it out, I flung myself across her lap and grabbed it, then sat up and handed it to her. She giggled as I poked her belly. “All yours, Missy!”

She rolled her eyes at me, then pulled up the guide and began searching for another show to watch. I leaned against her shoulder, watching the guide scroll by as I rolled the butter-flavored sweet in my mouth. “Hey, what flavor did you get?” I asked.

“Uh.. cinnamon,” she responded, looking at me. “Why?”

“Wanna swap?” I asked, winking slightly.

A slight pink flush filled her cheeks, then she nodded, sticking her tongue out, with the little candy perched on the end. I leaned forward, and sucked her tongue, and the candy into my mouth, while pushing my candy into hers with my tongue. We pressed together a few moments longer than absolutely necessary... after all, she was an amazing kisser, with a tongue that was as skilled as any I'd ever encountered, and tasted so sweet, even under the candy flavors. She “hmm”d softly as our lips parted, the candies successfully swapped. “Keep that up, and I'm gonna need you to do more for me,” she joked.

I licked my lips, and looked down at her lap. She was wearing lose-fitting shorts, which came down to about mid-thigh. I could easily slip a hand up inside of them. “I wouldn't mind,” I said softly, placing one hand on her bare thigh, just below said shorts. I gently drew a couple abstract patterns with my fingers on the soft, silky skin of her inner thigh, moving it slowly higher, under the edge of her shorts, and leaned forward for another kiss. She responded warmly, pressing against me. I could feel her soft little breasts push against my arm as I felt her legs slide apart, and I ran my fingertips over the leg band of her panties. She was warm between her thighs already.

I ran a finger gently down the line of her sex, feeling her lips under the thin cloth, and kissed her harder, sliding my tongue into her mouth and dueling lightly with her own. She gave a very soft whimper as I reached the bottom of her slit, and pushed in slightly, pushing her panties into the very outside edge of her pussy...

The door opened, and I looked up, seeing Taylor rush in. Her face was flushed, and she was super excited, smiling widely. I slowly withdrew my hand from Missy's shorts, and kissed her ear, whispering “After, okay? Just me and you.”

She smiled. “I'd like that,” she said softly, her cheeks a lovely pink shade. I couldn't help it, and gave her another quick kiss, then bounced off the couch, moving over to Taylor.

“Hey!”

She smiled hugely at me. “Where's Lisa?”

I pointed at the bathroom. “Shower.”

“I need to speak to you and her... like, right now.”

I nodded, and walked over to the bathroom and slipped inside. “Lisa?”

“Yeah?” she called from the stall. I could just make her figure out through the steamy glass panels as she turned to face me.

“Taylor's back. Said she needs to speak to us right now.”

“Kay, bring her in. Just gotta rinse.”

I turned and beckoned for Taylor to come in. She joined me, and I shut the door behind her. Lisa had her back to us now. I admired the curve of her hips as she washed her hair out. “What's up?” she called.

“I found a way,” Taylor said quickly, smiling widely.

“What way?” I asked immediately.

Taylor bit her lip. “I got a vial, from Warren. He said if you take it, you can get powers, but he's not sure how it works, or anything beyond that. He asked me not to tell anyone but you two, so... please, don't spread it to the others that it came from him.”

I nodded. “Secret is safe with me. What is it?”

She pulled out the little vial, full of a dark liquid. I studied it, but didn't see anything extraordinary. Lisa shut the shower off, grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her as she stepped out. I hopped up on the counter, and she came to stand next to me. I moved her in front of me and took another towel, wrapping it around her hair and patting it dry. She flashed me a quick smile, then studied the vial herself.

“This gives powers?”

“That's what he said. I'm not sure how it works, but if we give to Emma, she can take it, then... she'll have powers, like us.” Taylor smiled. “I'm not sure what kind, but any kind will mean she can help somehow, right?”

Lisa nodded. “Seems that way. Warren had it, huh?”

Taylor nodded again. “Yeah. Please don't spread that around.”

Lisa waved it off. “I wouldn't do something like that. You know me.” She smiled. “I guess I'll get dressed. Go get Emma, bring her over, and we can give it to her if she wants it.”

Taylor beamed, and hugged Lisa, then me, then darted out the door. I continued toweling Lisa's hair dry for a few moments in silence, then Lisa turned and hugged me. “I love you,” she murmured softly.

I grinned, and hugged her back. “Love you too, my Tattle.”

She laughed lightly. “I'll go get dressed, then we'll do this.” She slipped out, and I hopped down, going back to Missy on the couch.

“Taylor found something that can give powers, we're going to see if Emma wants to take it, and give it to her if she does. If you want to stay you're more than welcome to,” I said to her. She nodded immediately. I smiled, and sat next to her. She had changed the channel to some chick-flick movie, and the main characters were dancing.

It only took a couple minutes for Taylor to come back with Emma in tow, and by that time Lisa was emerging from the bedroom in jeans and a sleeveless top. She had left her hair down for the moment, which made me happy. I liked it when she did that.

“So, are we ready?” Taylor asked, almost bouncing in her excitement. I sat back, taking one of Missy's hands in my own, as we watched in silence from the couch. Lisa and Taylor put Emma in the recliner, asked her a bunch of questions to make sure she was really willing to do this, then Lisa took the vial, looked at it closely for a little bit, obviously using her power to try to find out anything she could about it. Finally, she shook her head and handed it to Emma.

“I don't know what to expect, really. I assume it might cause some discomfort, some type of pain, something of the sort. I'm really not sure. But if our own experiences are anything to go by, you're going to feel a little different, inexplainably so, afterwards. It's going to be really hard to tell what your powers are at first, so just be very careful with everything you do. You don't want to accidentally hurt anyone.”

Emma nodded, then grabbed the rubber top, using her finger nails to break the wax seal, and peel it off, then pulled out the top. She raised the vial to her lips, then glanced around at all of us. “Bottoms up?” She said, forcing a little smile. I could hear the nervousness running through her voice. She put the vial to her lips, tipped it up, and drained it in one big gulp.

For a moment, nothing happened, then suddenly Lisa and Taylor simply fell over. I had less than a second to react before I fell backwards, and suddenly...

A great vastness filled the eternity that was space and time, moving without moving, spreading through the vacuum, speeding through the void. Planets appeared and vanished in blurs of light and color, stars darted by as fast as they appeared. Then the Earth fell before the entity, and it was rushing over the surface, exploring, impacting, shattering. It was formless, everywhere and nowhere, shifting and falling, bits of itself flying away and latching onto little points of light here and there, sliding off of others.

The vision was over as fast as it had come, a single second in time that had stretched into infinity, then snapped back to reality. I blinked rapidly, raising a hand to my head as I tried to sit up. I was dizzy, unsteady. Missy was pressing against my side, her arms wrapped around me as she tried to brace herself. I glanced at her and saw the same disorientation in her face that I was sure mirrored my own.

“What was that?” I asked quietly.

Missy frowned. “What was... what?”

I blinked. I couldn't remember what I had seen, at all. All I could remember was fainting, feeling dizzy and off... had it just been a little spell? I shook my head slightly to clear it, and saw Lisa and Taylor helping one another to their feet.

In the chair, Emma sat, eyes squeezed shut, her hands clenched into fists, pressing against her legs. She was shaking slightly. “It... hurts...” she moaned, then fell forward as her body convulsed. Taylor caught her, Lisa taking her other arm, and they sat her back up as her back arched, and she screamed, raw and long, a scream of pure, unfiltered agony. I shivered, and Missy squeezed my hands in hers, her eyes wide.

“Is she okay?”

I shrugged slightly. “I... I don't know what's happening,” I said softly.

Emma screamed again, and again, her legs jerking. Taylor and Lisa held her in place as her back arched again, and another scream ripped out of her as she spasmed against them, literally lifting Lisa off her feet for a moment as she heaved. Then she collapsed, panting, in the chair, drawing rapid deep breaths.

We all stood still around her for a long moment. Taylor was the first to break the silence as Emma sat up, her head in her hands, her breathing slowing to normal. “Emma... how... how do you feel?” she asked quietly.

* * * * * * *

I drew a long, shaky breath. My entire body felt like I had just run a marathon, or spent far too long on a treadmill at a too-high setting. My legs were jelly, sore, my arms ached and even my back felt strained.

“Emma... how... how do you feel?” I heard Taylor ask, and before I could help it, my mind came up with a sharp, cutting reply to put her in her place. I swallowed it, however, not trusting myself to speak for a few moments. I was trying to be better. To change. To go back to how things had been. It was scary, in some aspects, how tough habits were to break. Being mean to Taylor, forcing myself to say the unthinkable, had become a habit. I had hated myself a little more every time I had said something cruel to her, but it was still my first response. I hated that.

I drew another deep breath, and felt everything returning to normal. I bit my lip and sat up straight, looking around the room. Everyone was looking at me. Kelsey and Missy on the couch, sitting on the edge. They were holding one another, eyes wide as they stared at me. Lisa had backed up a couple steps, giving me space, but Taylor was crouching at my side, hand on my thigh. I placed my hand over hers, felt it turn, and gripped it tightly. She squeezed my hand back just as hard. There was a desperation in her eyes, a fierce desire for things to be better, almost a dire need for her to be proved right in what she had done. I understood that, in a way. She wanted to be sure I wasn't a lost cause. That I was worth what she had went through for me.

“Fine,” I finally said. “I feel... fine.” And it wasn't a lie. The aches faded, the pain left my limbs, and I stood up. I glanced around the room, focusing inwards, trying to figure out what was new, what hadn't been there before... and realized, I was aware of something I had never been aware of before in my life. I could feel... something all around me. Rushing, moving, flowing. Through the walls, under my feet. Dimly, I could feel a vast... ocean of it not far away, and more and more of it moving all around me.

Water. I could feel water. I glanced around, and spotted a glass of water sitting on the counter. I looked at it, concentrated on it, and the water rose out of the glass, forming into a sphere. I smiled, and thought about it being something else. It took the form of anything I imagined, the water flowing and changing. The girls were all staring at the hovering water, watching it flow from one form to the next. I raised my hand, and it came to me with a thought, floating above my upturned palm. I could move it, manipulate it. I glanced at the sink, and drew water through the tap, working it up, pushing the valve open so that the handle twisted, and water began to flow into the sink. But I caught it before it did, forming another ball, this one much larger, and floated it over in front of me. I moved the smaller into the larger, and spread it out like a blanket over our heads, then twirled it around, moving it faster and faster, until it was churning as it spun and moved...

It was like magic, wondrous. I could control water. Make it answer my thoughts, do what I wanted it to do. I could feel it, anywhere that it was, call it to me. Taylor's mouth was frozen in a huge grin as she watched as I moved the water back to the sink, then wrapped a tendril of it around the faucet, and turned it off, then let it go back into the sink. It swirled down the drain as I released my control over it.

“Water,” Lisa said, nodding. “That's actually... really impressive.” She turned to me and smiled. “Looks like we have a new cape on the team. That is, if you still want to join us.”

I smiled. “Yes, of course. I can help, now. For real.” And I meant it. I wanted to join, and do the real thing, not the shadow thing that I had been doing for so many years. Helping someone who may or may not have deserved it... spending time around the wrong type of people, letting them use me, take advantage of my connections. Taylor had been the only friend I'd ever had that had loved me genuinely, for me. And even now, after everything I had done, here she was, helping me again, bending over backwards to find a way for what I wanted to work. It was purely amazing. I felt tears filling my eyes and before I realized it, they were running down my cheeks.

“What's wrong?” Kelsey asked at once. The girl may be young, but she was oddly perceptive. And smart. Was that a tinker thing? She set me a little on edge, but it was nothing drastic.

I shook my head, and scrubbed my cheeks with my sleeve. “Nothing. I'm fine.”

Taylor frowned at me. “No, no more brushing people off like that, putting on a brave face. I'm your friend, we're your friends. You can tell us. You don't have to be miss superhero all the time, you know. You can be human. There's nothing at all wrong with that.”

I swallowed. “I'm just a little overwhelmed, is all,” I said softly. “I never... never expected you to be so... forgiving, and willing to talk to me again, and help me, and accept me. I...”

“Expected me to treat you like you have me?” Taylor asked. It was blunt, and it did sting, because it was true, and a harsh reminder that I had been an absolutely terrible person to her. I hung my head, and nodded. “I'm not you, Emma. I never was. I went through something terrible and instead of collapsing and becoming someone terrible, I came out of it stronger. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside. You put me through something even more terrible, something I had never even dreamed of being a possibility, and it made me... well. This.”

“Wait,” I interrupted her quickly. “What do you mean? I put you through something that made you this? You mean... I was your trigger event? I thought... maybe your mom...”

Taylor shook her head, and refused to meet my eyes. “The locker incident. The one where I was taken away for a while? I snapped inside that locker. It was so... so awful, I tried to get out, tried everything to escape, and I think, in a way, that's why my power is related to bugs... because they can move through things that trap people. They're smaller than us, and easily overlooked. It was something I wanted more than anything. For you and Sophia to overlook me. So I could be small, slip away... I'm not blaming you, please understand. I'm not mad about it. Not anymore.”

I couldn't breathe, my chest was so constricted in pain. I had never thought, never realized the full consequences of my actions. In belittling her, putting her down, I had made myself feel “better” about what I was doing with my life. By proving to myself I was stronger, better, and above her. That we all were. That she was weak. That she had failed. I had pushed her to the very edge of sanity itself, and made her into Skitter. That was me. Tears streamed down my cheeks again, and I didn't even try to stop them. I hated myself, hated what I had done. I noticed Lisa giving me a slightly self-satisfied look, evaluating my reactions. I didn't blame her. She was seeing me laid bare for the first time in my life and she knew I deserved the pain that was rolling through me.

“God.. Taylor... I am so, so sorry. I didn't realize... didn't think... there's no excuse...”

She reached over, and hushed me with a finger against my lips. “Let's just stop there,” she said with a small smile. “What's in the past can't be changed, only learned from. So learn from it. Grow. Move on, and do better with your life. Help us do good things in the city. Help us save lives. Help us change things for the better, for everyone.”

I nodded. I could do that.

She pulled me into a hug, and for the second time in a ridiculously short span of time, I was bawling on her shoulder, and all she did was hold me, rubbing my back gently and offering the shoulder of comfort that I'd always needed.

* * * * * * *

Brian was pacing at the head of the conference room when the others began to file in. Kelsey had spread the news to everyone about the new member, and the only person that seemed to care in any way was Alec, who had responded with a simple: “If she isn't hot, and isn't single, she doesn't have my vote.” Rachel was surprisingly okay with it, and had been the first of the rest to show up, taking a seat near Warren. She eyed him a little as they sat at the table, waiting for the rest. Brian hadn't called the meeting about the new girl, he said, but something else was that was extremely important. He was impatient for the rest to show up, and kept obsessively looking at the clock at the wall, despite the fact that Warren had only been there for about two minutes, Rachel for one.

“Have a seat boss, you're driving me nuts,” Warren growled, but grinned slightly, to show he didn't mean anything serious by it.

Brian exhaled loudly, and did so, bouncing his knee rapidly instead of pacing. Warren supposed it was at least  _an_ improvement, and left well enough alone. Rachel gave Brian a little glare, then studied her hands on the table's surface.

Barely another full minute passed before the door opened again. Alec came in, glanced around. “New girl isn't here yet?”

“Sit down, Alec,” Brian said, pointing at a chair.

He raised his hands defensively, and took a seat. “What's so important?”

Brian shook his head. “I'll tell everyone at the same time. Too much, too important to start explaining now and have to start over when the others show up.”

Another minute or so passed in silence, then the door opened once more, and in filed Lisa, Kelsey, Missy, Taylor, and Emma, the new girl. They walked around the table, taking seats. Warren's eyes were on Missy. She was an extremely cute young girl out of costume, and he had felt an immediate attraction to her. He wondered if he would be finding any time with her alone soon... he needed to test out her personality, and see if she was the submissive, or dominant type.

Emma sat next to Taylor, and glanced around at everyone. Brian stood before anyone else could talk. “Okay. Couple things we need to go over. I'll get the easiest out of the way first. This is...” he trailed off, forgetting her name already.

“Emma,” she piped up.

“Right. Emma. Sorry, have a lot of things on my mind recently. Anyway. This is Emma. Newest addition to the team. To the core, original members here, I know things have changed and grown well beyond what we ever expected to see from the group. Let me be the first to say, thank you for sticking with us, and sticking to the team, to one another. We have made some amazing strides, and are now among the most powerful cape groups... anywhere. With New Wave at our side, perhaps we are the most powerful. So, give yourselves a pat on the back.”

There was a general murmur as everyone said something at once, and smiled at once another. Warren noticed Alec was studying Emma carefully, and had a little smile on his face. She must have passed the hotness requirement he had put forth, Warren figured, and turned his attention back to Brian.

“Next up. I've come into some alarming new news. Lisa... I have to ask you to be one hundred percent honest with us. No bullshitting, no lying, no avoiding the questions. Can you do with for me?”

She smiled her characteristic little vulpine smirk. “You know me,” she said lightly.

“That's what I'm afraid of,” Brian said dryly. “Lisa. Was Coil the man we were working for, before?”

Lisa paused for a few moments, then nodded. “Yeah. He was. You have to understand, I was operating under a series of promises and vows. I wanted to tell you, but it was more beneficial to the greater plan at the time to keep what we could hidden. He wouldn't fund us if he knew we knew who he was, and could betray him if we had been captured or something.”

Brian held up a hand. “I understand, and I'm not blaming you. Thank you for answering me. New Wave got a report that Coil may have with him a precog of some considerable, and worrisome talent. It may come as no surprise to some of us,” and with that he looked at Lisa again, who looked away, her cheeks pink, “that him having her in custody may be indirectly our fault.”

“What? How?” Taylor asked.

“Dinah Alcott, you may have heard her name on the news reports. Missing girl, reported missing around the time of the bank robbery we did. Ring any bells?” A scattered few nods. Warren noted Kelsey's lost look, and felt a little pang in his chest for her. _You know this. You know all of this. I know you know this... why did you put that cursed thing on your sheet? How much better would this be if we could discuss what to do with prior knowledge of these events?_

“She was taken, apparently. Not lost, not missing, but kidnapped by Coil's agents. New Wave just found out about it through one of Coil's other employed henchmen. They had a little run in with some of the group known as the Travelers last night. Nothing major, as the Travelers were in and out, and it was a minor scrape. They didn't even have time to notify us about it before it was over. Glory Girl was on scene, and got a hold of the girl, Sundancer. They have her in custody, being held at the Protectorate for the time being. They're on high alert for any rescue attempts. Sundancer let slip some information that might interest a few of us. The Travelers are known for moving to place to place, never staying in one area for longer than two weeks. They've been attached to numerous crimes, and the Protectorate is debating whether or not their leader warrants a kill order. They've been responsible for a number of deaths as well. Sundancer broke under interrogation and confessed they have been trying to help a member of their group, named Noelle, who has some very unusual powers, that came from a vial. I'm not sure how much of this is concrete facts, as getting powers from a vial sounds a little unusual, but. There you have it. They came to Brockton Bay by offer of Coil, who lured them in with offers of help. Apparently, Tattletale was part of this arrangement. Perhaps you could shed some light on this, Lisa?”

Lisa nodded. “I can tell you what I know, but honestly what I know is pretty limited. Um. Let's start with the first part. Powers from a vial. That's real. Apparently it can have a multitude of effects, from ordinary powers, weak powers, or in extremely rare cases, very potent, unusual powers. Um. Emma here is walking proof of this. She just recently obtained one of these vials herself, and has powers linked to water, and water manipulation.”

Warren noted Kelsey's little smile that she gave him. So Taylor had told Lisa and Kelsey already, but it seemed she had passed on the request not to spread that information. He felt a little bit of tension ease out of him, and gave Kelsey the tiniest of nods back. Her grin grew, and then she looked to Lisa, still smiling.

“On the second point, I was given only the briefest of outlines with Noelle and the Travelers. I know they were coming before the offer was made. Coil discussed it with me briefly, told me he would need my help with the situation if I was willing. At the time, this was before the bank robbery, and I told him I would if I could. Of course now situations have changed, so... there's that. Noelle's power is something extremely dangerous, from what Coil was saying. Something she can't fully control, and the Travelers are looking for a way to cure her. That's what has them working for Coil. He's going to try to get them that cure.”

Brian nodded. “That makes sense, and lines up with what Sundancer has said. “Do you know anything else about Coil's plans?”

“Only that his end goal is eventual control of the city. And that only because my power told me. He's very careful and calculated in his planning. His power is very crucial to him in how he acts and operates.”

“And what is his power?” Taylor asked softly.

Warren glanced at her.  _Oh Taylor... please tell me you've given up the original plan for joining the Undersiders. We're all good guys here now._

Lisa shrugged. “I'm unsure of any specifics, but I know it has something to do with creating multiple realities. If faced with a decision, he can create two parallel lines of reality, and try two different plans, and unravel, or dismiss, the reality in which the situation comes out less favorably.”

“That... is quite the advantage,” Brian mused. “No wonder he always appears to be one step ahead of the game.”

Lisa nodded. “And if you want to add another complication to that, we're now sitting at the other end of the table from him. Metaphorically, of course. Engaged in a chess game. Battle for control of Brockton Bay.”

“Which means that if we run into any Travelers...”

“We take them out,” Bitch said bluntly. “They're enemies. Villains. We're heroes now, right?”

Brian nodded. “I was going to say we use caution, because it's most likely going to end up in a fight, but to be straight to the point, yes. We take them out.”

“So what's the gameplan from here, boss?” Warren asked.

“New Wave, and the PRT, have asked for us to help out in watching out for any rescue attempts for Sundancer. So from here, we go, get ready. New Wave will cycle out in a couple of hours, get some rest while we cycle in. We'll patrol, monitor, and make sure Sundancer stays in custody. Apparently her powers render her a massive threat. She's best kept in custody, and under sedation until she can be transported to the Birdcage.”

“What if she can be convinced to join us, instead?” Kelsey asked. “I mean, if she was willing to give up information just being asked questions, maybe her loyalty to the Travelers isn't very strong. Maybe if we could speak to her, we could convince her to join us, instead of sending her to a prison.”

Brian nodded. “It's worth looking into. I'll have a word with Miss Militia, see if she'll allow us a chance to make an offer.”

Kelsey smiled. “Thanks, Brian. You're the best.”

Brian smiled a little at that, then dismissed everyone. “Well. That was all I had, so unless anyone else has something to add...” No one did. “Let's go, get ready for our shift on protection. We have...” he glanced at the clock. “One hour, forty minutes before we're due on site. Be costumed up, ready to go in one hour, twenty. That'll give us twenty minutes to get there.”

People nodded, and headed out. Warren hung around until everyone else was gone except Bitch. She stood up and glanced at him. “Not gonna go do anything?”

He shrugged, eyeing her. “Have any ideas?”

A little grin lit up her face.

* * * * * * *

I lead Missy by the hand directly back to our apartment. Emma, Lisa, and Taylor stopped at Emma's apartment, and Lisa winked at me as I lead Missy away. I gave her a warm smile, and blew her a kiss as we disappeared inside. Missy was almost bouncing by the time I had the bedroom door closed behind us, and pushed me up against said door immediately, kissing me. Her tongue slid across my lips, and I opened my mouth to her, her hands running up my sides, pushing my arms up above my head.

“I couldn't stop thinking about this, this entire time,” Missy whispered in my ear. “I haven't... ever... been this excited to do anything like this before.”

I kissed her again, sucking on her tongue, twisting mine around it, pressing my slim body against hers as she held my wrists in place with one hand, and ran her other down, caressing my cheek, then down the center of my chest to the bottom of my shirt, and up my flat belly, under my top, to my breasts. I wasn't wearing a bra—didn't need one—and she grinned against my mouth as her hand covered one tiny breast, feeling my nipple brush against her fingers. She squeezed and tweaked that little nipple, making it harden in her grasp, and drawing a soft moan from me. I sucked on her tongue harder as she pressed a thigh between my legs. She smiled as she drew back, and tweaked my other nipple with her deft fingers, and I gasped again, rubbing myself against her thigh a little. I felt the beginning sparks of arousal and wetness spreading through my sex, and knew that I was going to be a literal fountain for her once she got to that sweet place.

She turned my head to the side, and licked my neck, nibbling on my ears, then licked along my jaw, drawing me back into another deep kiss. I whimpered slightly as she pinched a nipple, and then her hand was sliding back down my belly, drawing little swoops and swirls along the way, playing with my navel, before dipping into the waistband of my leggings, between them and my panties, and slid down lower, her fingers pressing lightly against me through my panties, above my sex, not quite low enough to hit my most sensitive areas just yet. She lingered there for a moment while I rubbed on her thigh a little more, then drew her leg back, and slipped her hand down all the way, cupping my pussy, pressing the heel of her palm against the top of my sex while her fingers traced my slit all the way down to the bottom, between my thighs. She groaned softly into my mouth, feeling the heat emanating from within me, and I couldn't help but get even wetter, a little bit starting to leak into my panties, getting the cloth a little damp as her fingers rubbed ever-so-lightly back and forth.

She drew back, pulling her hand out, to push my top up, taking it off over my head, and then pressed me back against the door, still holding my hands up with one hand, and pulled my leggings down around my knees with the other. I was wearing a small plain black thong underneath, which she quickly pulled down with my leggings, then pulled my entire body against hers, taking me away from the door, bringing my arms down. I wrapped them around her neck as we kissed again, this time sliding my tongue into her mouth and exploring. She walked me backwards to my bed, then sat me down on the edge, kneeling before me, pulling away from my mouth with a little sigh, licking down my chest, sucking a nipple into her mouth, sucking on it hard, making me arch my back as her hand went back between my legs, parting my lips and rubbing her finger lightly over my clit and down to my small hole...

Then she was sliding down farther, taking my leggings and panties off completely, pushing my legs apart, pulling my bottom forward to the very edge of the bed, and lowered her head to my pussy at once, diving straight in. My back arched and my mouth fell open in a moan as her tongue ran over my sensitive wet folds, driving into my pussy, thrusting in as deeply as she could make it go, twisting around and then licking up to my clit and back down, repeating the process quickly, her tongue flickering back and forth between the two while her hands cupped my bottom, holding my hips against her mouth while I jerked and shook.

She drove me to my first orgasm really quickly, making me cry out and pant as I came on her tongue, my juices flooding into her mouth. She sucked them down quickly, and smirked up at me, licking her way up my belly, sucking on my other nipple. I twisted us around, bringing her down on the bed, and stripped her out of her top and bra really quickly, sucking one of her erect little pink nipples right into my mouth straight away. She arched and moaned as I did, one hand massaging her other breast while I slid my other down her shorts and panties, cupping her smooth, bare pussy in my hand, rubbing my finger along the crease of her sex, pushing the tip of my finger inbetween her lips and finding her wet and searing hot inside. She moaned louder as I slid my finger up inside of her until I felt the barrier of her innocence, then drew back, slowly pumping my finger shallowly inside of her, switching nipples and sucking on the other. I crawled over her, and pushed her shorts and panties down, then kicked them off the bottom of her legs, then slid between them.

I pushed her knees up to her shoulders, spread open, so her entire sex lay open to me as I lay below her, and licked her sweet little pussy, running my tongue up and down the outside of her sex, moving down to her bottom, licking her other little hole... she moaned as I worked my tongue inside of it, and wiggled it about, her pussy gushing, her wetness running down onto my tongue as I tongue-fucked that small hole. Then I was sliding back up, licking up every drop of her sweet wetness I could, sucking her sensitive little clit into my mouth. She cried out and arched into me hard as she exploded, her orgasm rushing over her.

I licked my way up her body and out mouths and tongues met again, fiercely twisting and rolling together as she rolled over on top of me. When we parted, I was breathing hard, and feeling a desperate need for something long and hard up inside of me. “Top drawer... take the toy out...” I whispered to her. She reached over to the bedside stand, opened the toy, and pulled out a sleek, smooth strapon. I had just bought it, hadn't had a chance yet to use it on Lisa, but I wanted it inside me so badly I could hardly think straight. I rolled onto my belly, stuck my bottom up in the air, and spread my legs. “Fuck me with it?” I asked her over my shoulder.

Missy grinned, and got on her knees behind me, quickly putting the strapon around her waist, belting it in place. I watched impatiently as the sleek purple shaft bobbed before her as she crawled up to me, smacking my bottom playfully, grabbing that purple dildo in one hand, and rubbed the tip up and down my sex. “Where do you want it?” she asked. “Here?” She pressed it lightly against my pussy, then moved it up higher, and pressed it against my bottom. “Or here?”

“Pussy,” I moaned, and arched my back as she slid it back down, and pushed it slowly into my pussy. I groaned, and buried my face in the bedding, biting it to hold back my screams of pure pleasure as the dildo slid deep inside of me. I needed this so badly.. needed to get fucked hard and fast.

Missy seemed to sense that, and once she had it all the way in, grabbed my bottom with both hands, squeezing it, and pulled it back, then began to fuck me. There was no tenderness to it, nothing sweet and romantic. It was raw, pure, and intense, hard fucking. She drove the dildo deep with every thrust, making me bob forwards, then drug back until only the tip was left inside, then drove it deep again. I cried out, moaned, panted and wailed like a bitch in heat as she fucked me deep and hard and fast, the strapon pounding my little pussy until I could barely thing straight. Then she reached under me, found my clit, and rolled it between two fingers...

I lost it. I screamed as I came, and came hard, slamming my hips back into her nearly hard enough to knock her off balance, and pressed against her hard as she held it inside of me, wrapping her arm completely around my waist to keep me pinned in place as I shook and my entire body went rigid with the force of the orgasm.

When it subsided, I found myself laying on my belly. Missy was sitting in front of me, legs spread again, rubbing her pussy. “Please,” she whispered. “I need another..”

I crawled forward, and buried my face between her thighs. I felt her legs wrap around me, and didn't care. She tasted so sweet, and I could even taste some of my self that had leaked onto/into her from the strapon. My thighs were sticky with my own cum, but at that moment I could not have cared any less. Missy rubbed herself against my mouth as I licked and ate her, tongue fucking her, sliding my finger into her ass and finger-fucking it and sucking on her clit until she howled with an orgasm as intense as mine had been. She went limp, and I crawled up, cuddling against her. She wrapped her arms around me as we both lay there, panting for breath, unable to calm down.

A few moments later, Lisa poked her head in. “You two about done? Better get ready,” she said with a little smirk. “We leave in twenty.”

I cursed, and Missy giggled. I kissed her again, and licked her ear. “Thanks,” I said to her.

She smiled up at me. “No, thank _you._ For this, and for everything.”

Somehow, I understood that, and smiled as we got up, cleaned up, and started getting dressed together.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel wasn't shy, that was for sure. “You could fuck me,” she suggested immediately. “Or, if you want... we could go back to my apartment, and... see what happens there.”

Warren smiled as he rose. “Why not both?”

She smiled a little bit wider at that. “I like the way you think.” She turned around, and bent over the table in front of him, lifting her jacket, and pulling her pants down. She wasn't wearing anything underneath, and the sight of her bare bottom wiggling at him immediately had him moving behind her, running one hand over the curve of her hip, down her thigh. She smiled a little bit at that, and pushed her bottom back into him, bumping against his crotch. His cock twitched as it felt the soft, yet firm, globes of her ass press against him. He ran his hand down the front of her thigh, then swept it around behind her knee and lifted that leg, putting her knee up on the table. The new position spread her sex open, and he could see the soft pink—in odd contrast with her stony exterior and face she put forward—insides glistening a little as her wetness and arousal increased. He rubbed up against her backside again, and slid his other hand up her back, pressing her torso down, so that she pressed against the tabletop, and with his other hand, undid his pants, pulling them open to let his cock out without actually taking them off.

He wasn't quite fully hard yet, but the sight of her bent over and waiting for him was doing wonders to get him there. He stroked himself a couple of times with his hand, and rubbed the head of his cock up and down the wet pink line of her pussy. She groaned a little, and bumped backwards against him as his cock nuzzled against her hole, so that the head slipped just inside.

She was like a furnace inside, hot and wet, and he pushed another couple of inches into her. Despite what one might believe about Rachel, she was extremely tight, almost like a virgin. He slid more of himself into her, a couple more inches, so that he was just over halfway in, and she moaned a little louder and pushed back against him, taking him in to the hilt. He grabbed her hips with one hand and savored the feeling of her body spread around his own. She clenched around him as he drug his hips backwards, her pussy literally sucking on him, not wanting to let him go, then pushed back into her when just the tip was left inside. She moaned loudly and he felt a little surge of her wetness around his cock, getting her even wetter, lubing up her passage for him to fuck.

When he pulled back again, he glanced down, noting the wet shine left on his cock, and grinned, pushing back into her again. He placed a hand on her bottom, and from his thumb a little black tendril sprouted, sliding down between her cheeks as he set up a steady, easy rhythm, moving in and out, and she gasped as she felt that little tendril snake down between her cheeks, and press against her back entrance, sliding around it before sneaking inside, narrowing down to a tiny little string, and sliding into her opening, then swelling up, pushing her open, stretching that hole as it slid into her deeper, folding and rolling around itself.

He groaned as well, as he could feel the tendril moving in her bottom on the top of his cock, through the membranes within her that seperated the two holes. He groaned as he set it to vibrating deep inside her ass, and she came on his cock all at once, exploding upon him, crying out and smacking the table with one hand, thrusting back against him hard. He kept up the smooth, steady motion of fucking her, sliding in and out, in and out...

He squeezed her bottom hard, and the tendril began moving in and out of her bottom now too, sliding deep inside before pulling out, then pushing in deeper yet, wiggling up inside of her further, tickling her insides, vibrating and rolling around, massaging her and his cock inside of her. Rachel cried out loudly as she came again, with a spurt of wetness that coated his cock and ran down her thighs. He groaned and pushed into her harder still, rocking her against the table. She slapped it again as he pushed her straight into her next orgasm, and clenched around him so hard that he pushed in as deeply as possible, his cock nestled against her cervix, and exploded within her, his cum flooding into her womb and filling it completely. She felt his hot cum rushing into her combined with the wild movements of the tendril within her ass, and screamed as she came yet once more, her leg sliding off the table as she jerked in orgasmic bliss before going limp against it.

He grinned as he pulled out of her, a little of his cum trailing out and running down her well-fucked pussylips. She panted for breath as she turned around, and gave him a little smile. “After that.. I think we should wait for the other now...”

Warren grinned back at her, still admiring the curve of her bottom and the wetness of her thighs. “I'm okay with that,” he said lightly. “Anticipation is half the fun...”

* * * * * * *

I manuevered the suit through the window, heard KC announce the windows were shut, and dropped down slowly, until it was sitting outside the building. Passerby stopped and stared, pointing. Some were taking pictures, others were smiling, waving. I had repainted the suit to match my own color design and scheme with Lisa and Missy's help, and almost right after I had done so, some reporters had taken pictures of me getting into it, and it had shot through town faster than light that this “Dragon suit” was no longer one of Dragon's, but belonged to the heroine that had helped end the plague. And so it had been that only a day or so later, when me and Lisa were shopping, I had walked past an art stand, and seen pictures of me on sale. Painted pictures of me and the suit, flying above a burning San Francisco. I hadn't really enjoyed seeing the pictures, and enjoyed it even less when people had recognized me. It was hard to not be recognized when I had my glass's projector turned off, and my eyes gave me away immediately. Twilight, the Tinker girl with the green eyes, world's greatest Tinker...

What had I got myself into?

The rest filed out, all in costume. Bitch had two of her dogs with her, on leashes and normal size for the moment. They climbed into a van, but I popped open the hatch. “Vista!”

She turned to me. “Have you ever flown before?”

She shrugged, and nodded. “A little, yeah. In like, airliners, and I've zoomed around on Kid Win's stuff once or twice. But not...” she waved a hand at my suit, “like that.”

Tattle stepped up next to her. “Hey! I still haven't got a ride.”

I grinned. “Then get in here!”

Tattle cheekily waved at the rest, and jogged over. Vista laughed, and hopped in the van with the others while Lisa climbed in with me, slipping behind me, where Panacea had ridden with me before. She reached around the seat and patted my tummy. “Good to go!”

“We'll meet you guys there,” I said.

Brian answered, “Yeah, yeah. No sight-seeing, now.”

Tattle giggled like a schoolgirl as I shot upwards into the sky, accelerating hard and twisting and rolling through the sky, shooting halfway to the PRT building before the van had even left the parking lot.

“Twilight... I haven't had this much fun in ages. I should ride with you more often.”

I tapped a control at my fingers, keying our conversation to private. “You should! Hey. I bet with a little work we could actually put a little chair in here, for you to sit in. I could make you a visor like mine, linked into KC, and you could key into everyone's cams. Bet it would help your power.”

“Damn. Why hadn't we thought of this before?” Tattle mused. “That actually sounds like a really good idea. I'm not much use in direct combat anyway and usually end up trying to hide between Grue or Skitter or Bitch. Would make it a lot easier to be up here with that information flow.”

I grinned, perhaps a little too excited at the prospect of having her even closer to me. “I'll start working on that after our shift out here.”

Tattle patted my tummy again, staring out the windows as I rolled and dived, pulling up and setting down smoothly on the grounds outside the building. “We are so using this next time we go shopping. Fuck cabs. Like, seriously.”

I giggled, and popped the hatch open, and we both hopped out. Glory Girl landed smoothly next to us, and I told KC to reopen the earpieces to wide communications for us.

“Good to see you guys,” she greeted with a smile. I returned it warmly.

“Any news?” Tattle asked.

Glory Girl shook her head. “No, none so far. It's been really quiet, which actually has us quite worried. We're going to stay here, but pull inside, so we can get some rest, catch some sleep while you're active. If anything happens, we'll be out in a flash.”

“Do you really think they'll try anything? I mean... with the Wards, PRT, and us all on high alert? They're drastically outnumbered and going up against an opponent ready and waiting for them.” I bit my lip. “I mean. I'm not complaining about being here.”

Glory Girl smiled. “I'm honestly not sure. They'd be crazy to try it, but they haven't gotten their reputation by being sane and making only safe plays. We'll have to wait and see, and be as ready as we can be.”

“Where's Sundancer being held?” Tattle asked.

“Underground. She's in a secure location, kept pretty heavily sedated. She's just barely conscious enough that she can respond to basic stimulus, but she can't move, or use her powers.”

“What exactly are her powers?” I asked. “I read about them online a little bit. Generates heat?”

“That's a pretty rough summary, yeah,” Glory Girl said. “I haven't seen it in person, but from videos I've seen, she actually generates a ball of light, that she can control, and emanates massive heat. Miniature suns, Flashbang called them.”

I grimaced. “Sounds pretty dangerous. If I had time, I could make a field of some sort, perhaps that could nullify it's effects, or maybe design an explosive that could freeze the core, rendering it useless... but I'm not even sure where to start at the moment.”

Glory Girl smiled. “She shouldn't be a concern today. Her allies, on the other hand, are also fairly potent. Trickster can teleport, so to speak.”

“Swaps himself in place of something else,” Tattle elaborated for me. “Roughly has to be about the same mass, if I recall correctly. Meaning, he can't swap himself for you, and take the suit.”

I breathed out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

Glory Girl nodded. “We're also pretty firmly of the opinion that it has to be something that he has some type of line of sight to, but that's not really confirmed or not yet. Ballistic is very dangerous. Anything he touches, literally anything, becomes a high-speed projectile. Combine the two, and... well...”

“It makes dodging anything they throw at you all that much harder,” Tattle said. “Ballistic can launch something at Trickster, and he swaps for someone else.. before they realize where they are, bam. Ouch time.”

Glory Girl frowned. “That's a rather... uneloquent way to put it.”

Tattle and I both just grinned.

The van pulled up with the rest, who hopped out and joined the little gathering. They had all heard our conversation, of course, and didn't need to be brought up to speed, so she bid us good luck, called in the rest of New Wave, and they headed indoors. We glanced around at one another.

“So...”

“Okay. Here's the plan,” Brian said. “Twilight, you and Morkulv will stay airborne the entire time. Circle the place, keep an eye out for anything suspicious that looks like it may be heading our way. Glory Girl didn't cover Genesis... Tattle, would you mind?”

“Genesis has the ability to form a body, a projection, that she can use to fight. She can do any number of things with it, and use it in any number of ways. The Travelers as a whole work best when working together, as a team unit. Our primary strategy against them should be focusing on making that impossible.”

Brian nodded. “Right. So if they come, we need to hit hard and fast and nullify at least one member before they can adjust. Preferably, I would like Ballistic down first. He packs the hardest hit.”

“Depending on what Genesis forms, yes,” Tattle said.

“So, if we can take Ballistic down,” Grue continued, ignoring Tattle's comment, “we can turn our attention to Genesis or Trickster. Trickster on his own is mostly harmless. It's when he's working in close connection to the others that things get complicated. Basically, watch yourselves. If you're sitting still, you're doing it wrong. Don't launch any attack haphazardly, he may switch an ally out for himself, and you'd be hitting a friend instead. Stay cool, calm, and collected, and keep in touch. Communication is key. We need to out-coordinate them if we want to take them down quickly. Any questions?”

“Where will the rest of us be?” Skitter asked.

I glanced at her. She was standing perfectly still, but still appeared to be moving and shifting, with the way the bugs she had gathered on herself were working around her. Vista had taken a few steps away from Skitter and her bugs, shuddering slightly.

“Skitter, get up on a rooftop, where you have a good vantage point. You should be able to amass quite a swarm, and keep them ready. Hide the bugs among the buildings, and don't give yourself away. Vista, where do you work best from?”

Vista shrugged. “Usually from the back, where I can see what's happening and affect it.”

Grue nodded. “You'll stay with Bitch, then. If she's willing to let you ride one of her dogs, you'll have protection and be mobile at the same time. I'll be at the doors. Last line of defense, so to speak. Twilight and Morkulv, you're first. Skitter, Vista, and Bitch second. Tattle—”

“I'll be in the air with Twilight,” she said. “Utilizing what I can from what KC can give me, to help coordinate and use my power to help determine more information.”

Grue nodded. “Sounds good. Let's move.”

Morkulv stepped to Taylor, carefully lifting her into his arms, and took off slowly, carrying her to a nearby rooftop, about six stories high. Tattle and I climbed back into my suit, and I took off, setting KC on a patrol path that swept us around the building, with scanners running nonstop for unusual routines, or large forms—such as a form that Genesis could create—and relaxed a little, sitting back to help plug my tablet into KC, and get it setup for Tattle to use. Morkulv joined us soon after, coasting along next to us, watching the ground carefully.

For a long time, the suit coasted, scanning nonstop, while Tattle read reports, watching out the window and listening to the idle chatter from the others. Nothing had shown up, and it was relatively quiet. I bit my lip as I looked at Tattle, standing behind me, leaning over the chair to tap a few buttons on the panel. I glanced around, then flicked two controls, tinting the windows to the outside, so no one could see in, but we could still see out. I pushed the chair back, into the recess Tattle was standing in, and stood up, motioning for her to sit. She did, and I slipped out of my armor and suit, standing before her in only a pair of spandex shorts. She looked at me, glanced at the windows, then grinned.

“We're on private,” I told her. “No one else can hear us right now.”

“Someone's a little horny, are they?” she joked.

I nodded, and straddled her lap, facing her, and pulled her mouth to mine. We were both still wearing our masks, but our lips could still meet... she relaxed easily into the kiss, and opened under my mouth, letting my tongue in to explore the familiar cavern. Her tongue twisted around mine, welcoming it into her, and I pressed my little body against hers, craving the familiarity and comfort suddenly that she had brought into my life. She slid her hands down my bare back, to my bottom, cupping it in both her hands, drawing me into her. “There isn't much room in here,” she mused thoughtfully as I leaned back, and pulled my mask off, rubbing her chest through her costume with both hands.

“There's enough for me to do what I want,” I whispered in her ear, and licked it.

She shivered slightly, and her hands on my bottom gave a light squeeze. “And what's that, dare I ask?”

I pulled back, staring into her eyes. “Lick you,” I said simply, and slid off her lap, kneeling before her. I ran my hands up her thighs to her waist, grabbed the waistband of her costume leggings, and pulled them down her smooth thighs. She was wearing one of her sexiest pairs of panties underneath, black bands across either hip cut with slits into them, connecting a hot pink panel in the front and back, with a little rose design etched along the front. I kissed the rose design as I leaned over her, and she moaned softly as she leaned her head back, spreading her legs, letting me have full access to her sexy, lean, tight body.

I ran my tongue over the outside of her panties, down the crease of her sex, feeling the heat increasing coming from her. I smoothed my hands over her thighs, around the outside, ran my fingernails lightly up the bottoms of her thighs, urging her legs open wider, kissing and licking at her pussy through the covering material. She pushed her hips up slightly as I wiggled my tongue where I knew her clit was, through the fabric, nudging it between her lips, giving her something of a cameltoe as I ran my tongue down, pushing the smooth material into her lips all the way down, highlighting the shape of her sex. She moaned as I ran my fingers down that line and looked up at her before hooking my fingers through the leghole, and pulling the fabric aside, baring her to my eyes and mouth.

I ran my tongue down between her cheeks, tasting and exploring the tiny rim of her other hole, staring up into her eyes the entire time. She moaned loudly and arched off the seat as my tongue came up, sliding right between her smooth lips and deep into her wet pussy, driving in as far as I could push it before coming up to twirl around her clit.

I loved the way she tasted, the way she moved and the way she felt under my mouth and hands as my fingers slid deep into her wet passage, curling and teasing their way deep inside. She panted for breath as my tongue flicked and teased at her small clit, drawing it out from under it's hood, and sucking it into my mouth, where I pressed against it lightly, then licked down her folds, around my fingers, catching the wetness leaking out from her, down to her bottom again, wiggling my tongue into that tight little ring, pushing it in as far as I could, then as I slid my tongue up, I slid my fingers—well coated in her juices—down to that tight ring, and pushed them into her as I tongue-fucked her pussy again.

She cried out as she came, clenching and bucking her hips against me, her hands squeezing the arms of the chair as she cried my name over and over as I sawed my fingers into her bottom, deeper and deeper each time, playing with her clit again with my tongue, driving her into a second orgasm. She cried out, unable to stop as I drove her into a secondary orgasm, heightened by the first, and her hips jerked, sliding my fingers all the way into her bottom. I slowly pulled them out, and licked them clean, then slid them back into her pussy. I wasn't done with her yet... oh no.

I had her laid out before me like a buffet, and I was going to eat and drink my fill of my Lisa. My Tattle. I rolled her clit between my teeth, curling my fingers inside of her, finding her G-spot and stroking it. She rocked her hips upwards harder, panting, one hand on the back of my head now, holding me down to her as more and more of her sweet cum flooded my mouth. She was in a non-stop orgasmic chain, arching from one to the next, her pussy in sensory overload, and it was all I could do suddenly just to keep up with her, meeting her frantic movements with thrusts of my fingers and sucking up every drop of her delicious nectar that I possibly could. When she finally subsided, and went limp in the chair, I drew my fingers out, and stood up before her, sticking them in my mouth again to clean them.

She looked up at me and smiled. “C'mere,” she mumbled, and I crawled over her lap. She held my head between her hands, and licked my cheeks and chin, which I knew had to be shiny with her own juices, then kissed me hard, sliding her tongue into my mouth and working it around to get more of her own flavor. When we parted, I was breathing hard, but knew we had to be running out of time that we had to play around, so I reached down, fixing her panties for her, pulling them back into place, then pulled up her pants. She stood, and pulled them up the rest of the way, grinning at me as she perched on the arm of the chair while I got re-dressed.

“You're gonna get it later, little girl,” she teased me, drawing me into another long kiss after I was done dressing. I simply melted against her. My pussy was so wet it was driving me crazy, but I knew I had to wait until later.

“Is that a promise?” I asked with a little smirk, much like her own.

She laughed. “You're spending way too much time around me. I don't need my own lines thrown back at me!”

I shrugged. “Not my fault you love me, and can't resist me,” I quipped.

She kissed my cheek. “You're lucky you're cute. Now, let's refocus here.”

I smiled at her, and settled back in my seat. It was a little hard to slide the seat back up, with Lisa nearly sitting in my lap to watch out the viewports. We were circling over the docks, and still everything was looking clear from where we were. I checked the scanners for the past few minutes, and was glad to see we hadn't missed anything.

“Little quiet up here,” Morkulv said suddenly.

“Anything out of place?” Skitter asked.

“Everything looks fine, still. About to loop over the boardwalk and head back in that direction,” Tattle said. She was leaning against me, making me fidget slightly. My shorts were sticking to me under my suit, and I wanted more than anything to strip naked and get fucked, but.... that wasn't exactly an option at the moment.

_Dry thoughts.. sand. Deserts. Dried up riverbeds. No sex for months. No Lisa... on all fours... with me behind her... NO! DRY THOUGHTS!_ I yelled at myself mentally, but it was pretty much a lost cause... I was wet, horny, and was going to stay that way until our shift was over.

“Wards just got a call,” Vista informed us. “They're heading out to investigate. We're to hold position. Apparently there was a gas station robbed a while ago by someone that swapping places with bystanders to get away when the police responded.”

“Trickster,” Grue said immediately. “It may be a diversion, an attempt to lure protection away from the HQ. Keep your eyes open, everyone.”

I widened the scanner range, and not three seconds later, it beeped.

[Unknown entity moving rapidly. Random appearances.]

“KC, take us there,” I said at once, and the suit swung around, deviating from its previous course, heading not towards the HQ, but north, shooting across town.

[Entity is moving rapidly. ETA to interception, thirty seconds.]

“KC, when we arrive, get me a look at it. We need to know what we're dealing with. Tattle, you may want to sit back.”

Tattletale nodded and slid into the back, holding her pad to her chest. “Scanners picked up what we think may be Trickster. We're moving to intercept.”

“Use caution,” Grue warned.

“I'm with them,” Morkulv confirmed.

We accelerated harder, and KC dropped manual control back to me as we reached the point. I oriented the suit, looking down, and saw a long figure, jogging along the street. Every so often, he would disappear, someone else appearing where he had been, looking startled and confused, glancing around to try to get an idea of what had happened to them. The figure appeared farther ahead, and I lowered the suit, cruising in just above him. He turned and looked up at us... my visor instantly captured his face, uploading the image and scanning through the database in less than half a second.

[Identity confirmed: Trickster.]

“We have eyes on Trickster,” I announced. He jumped away, but KC had a lock on him now, highlighting him in my visor's field of vision as I followed after him.

“KC, key the loudspeaker.”

[On.]

“Trickster. Stop. You are hereby under arrest.”

He accelerated, sprinting away and jumping across the street, then twice more in rapid succession. I accelerated after him, and saw Morkulv following along, slicing through the air to our right.

“You cannot get await. Stop.”

People were beginning to panic as the suit cruised through the street at high speed, narrowly missing the tops of cars as I slanted back and forth across the street as he leapt wildly, trying to stay ahead of us. People walking down the street began to scream and run, a mass panic sweeping the entire area in seconds. Trickster's jumps came slower as people crushed in together, limiting what he could see, his jumps shorter, spreading the chaos. He was hurting his own chances at getting away.

“KC, prep containment foam cylinders.”

[Prepped.]

“Lock on his signal. When you have a shot, take it.”

[Affirmative.]

A few seconds later, the bottom of the suit  _thumpf_ 'd as a cylinder launched, arching through the air, bouncing and breaking open. Containment foam sprayed out in a wide arc, ensnaring not only Trickster, but several others. He looked around madly, and jumped again, sticking another unfortunate soul in his place, and running again.

“KC, adjust. Containment foam accompanied by a flashbang. If he needs to see where he's going, let's try blinding him.”

[Affirmative.]

A few seconds later, two simultaneous launches. The foam sprayed out half a second before the flashbang went off, the window darkening against the white burst. We could see fine as we circled around. Trickster was blinking like crazy, his leg trapped, trying to see something to jump away...

“KC, foam spray, now!”

A nozzle dropped low, and coated him from head to toe in foam, effectively covering his face, and sealing him within.

“Keep a lock on him, make sure he doesn't jump out, if he can.”

[Affirmative. Target within containment.]

“Grue, we've trapped Trickster. He's held in containment foam. Get a PRT collection team over here as fast as possible, sending you our location,” Tattle said, and leaned forward, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Twilight... you're brilliant, you know that?”

I just grinned.

* * * * * * *

We returned to the HQ building, escorting the van along the way, making sure Ballistic or Genesis didn't try anything. When Trickster was safely inside, sedated and put into a containment cell with a blindfold and his hands bound, we returned to our patrol. It was relatively quiet again, though we did get random communications from other Hero teams, congratulating us on the capture and updating the situation. The Wards had gotten to the robbery scene, and it had indeed been Trickster, but he hadn't got away with anything.

“Something doesn't add up,” I said softly.

“What's that?” Lisa asked, just as quietly. I had keyed our conversation back to private, so as to not bother the others with my thoughts.

“That was too easy. He didn't even fight, just ran... like he was buying time.” I frowned. “It would feel like a distraction, but nothing else has happened. Sundancer and him are now both in custody. Maybe something was supposed to happen, but he didn't anticipate getting caught so quickly?”

Lisa shrugged, but I saw her frown. “You're right. This doesn't feel right...” she trailed off for a moment. “Key us back to the others?”

I nodded, and tapped the switch. “Grue, Skitter. I have a bad feeling. Send someone in to check on Sundancer, now.”

“What's up, Tattle?” Grue asked. I heard Skitter shouting at someone, the pounding of her feet as she ran across the rooftop.

“I can't say... just... this doesn't add up. Something's off.”

“On it,” Skitter informed us briefly, then more yelling down to someone on the ground level.

I listened to a quick, unclear series of yells and calls through Grue and Skitter, then Vista said, “Um. Guys?”

“Vista?” I immediately had the suit turned and was blasting towards the HQ at full speed. Morkulv was just ahead of me; he must have had the same thought. I actually noticed with some surprise he was moving faster than I was.

“There's... something... beneath us...” it's moving a great deal of material. I can feel it, warping the ground...” she trailed off for a moment, then yelled out, “MOVE!”

I heard her and Grue running, then a massive roar. I saw the dust cloud rising ahead as something literally tore its way up out of the ground, and spun the suit around it, leveling the energy cannons with a flick of a switch. The front of the HQ building was in total ruins, torn apart by the creature's emergence from underground.

“Glory Girl! New Wave! Crisis, front doors!” Grue was yelling.

The creature spun around and I saw it's “face,” or what it had that could pass for one. “It's a giant worm,” I muttered, and fired the cannons. They pierced into the worm's side, burning small holes, but doing nothing beyond that.

I saw Morkulv slam into its side with enough force to tear into—and completely through—the worm, emerging from the far side in a spray of gore.

“It's Genesis,” Tattle said. “Travelers are here to rescue their team.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I growled. “KC. Reroute all weapons power to the cannons. Max efficiency.”

[Affirmative.]

My next shot did a lot more than poke two little holes in the side. The glare from the blast dimmed the canopy, and the shots tore into the side of the creature, ripping most of its side clear off. I fired a series of shots, then saw an explosion around its base as New Wave was sweeping out the doors and launching their own attack. With most of its head ripped to shreds and dangling in strips of flesh, the worm spun, blind, slamming into Morkulv with enough force to throw him to the ground. He smashed into a van parked in the lot, and obliterated the van nearly in its entirety.

I spun the suit, narrowly avoiding the same fate, then fired two more blasts into the back, blowing a hole the size of a pickup through its middle. Glory Girl went to Morkulv, and together they launched into the air, holding hands, and slammed into its side, bringing it to the ground hard, away from the building. Laserdream was slicing huge chunks of it apart with accurate blasts while Shielder was holding the doorway with one of her shields held up over the entry way.

Then I heard the popping, the tell-tale signs of small-arms fire echoing over Grue's earpiece.

“What is that?” Tattle asked. “Grue? Report!”

I flicked through my cam feeds, and loaded his to Tattle's pad. He was sprinting down a corridor. The feed was slightly distorted as he darted in and out of his darkness. There were soldiers in the building, with assault rifles, fighting their way through the halls, mowing down anyone that got in their way.

Skitter growled. “Get me off this fucking roof!”

Morkulv shot to her immediately, bringing her down. I watched as she ran inside, a massive swarm following her in. Bitch's dogs had joined the fight against the worm, ripping into and through it as it thrashed around still, unable to move most of its bulk without a full skeleton to support its own weight. I fired a few more rounds down into its body still beneath the surface, then turned my attention back to what was going on inside.

Morkulv glanced over at me. “I'm going in.”

I nodded at him through the canopy. “Do it.”

* * * * * * *

The soldiers were popping smoke at regular intervals as they moved through the building. He passed several men, and women, that were down. Some were clearly dead, others moaned with injuries that had taken them out of the fight for some time to come. Lingering remnants of Grue's darkness also clung to the walls here and there, making it harder for him to make his way through the labyrinth of hallways, but he did so, running with speed that only his power enabled him to achieve. When he caught up to the main fight, they were outside Trickster's cell. He noted immediately that they already had Sundancer, and two men were working over her, bringing her out of the sedated state that she had been held in. Grue was hunkered down behind a table with a few other obviously outmatched PRT officers. They only had handguns, and everytime they popped up to fire off a single round, a burst of automatic weapons fire had them scattering for cover.

“Doesn't look good,” Morkulv said.

Grue shook his head. “Nope.”

Morkulv glanced up, and took off his long jacket, handing it to Grue. “Hang on to this for me. Hit me with your power in a few seconds, cover me with your darkness.”

Grue looked at him. “I know you're tough, but those weapons are designed to take out capes. Are you sure about this?”

Morkulv looked over at him. “I have to try, don't I?”

Grue hesitated then raised a hand. “On you, then.”

Morkulv drew a deep breath, then rose, darting forward. Immediately about ten rifles swung in his direction, and fired. He felt the impacts reverbrating through his body, and despite his power, felt himself knocked back a step. He hit the wall with his shoulder, and slumped, a second before darkness washed over him. He glanced down at his chest and groaned. Several bloody spots adorned his furry chest. He growled as he went prone, and focused inwards for a second, finding the injuries, pushing the bullets out to the floor as they healed themselves within a few seconds. The rifles were still firing, he was sure. As if to confirm it, a bullet grazed his hand as he slid it up the wall. He drew it back down, crouching, bunching his legs up, then launched himself forward, a mixture of a leap and his flight, carrying him into the midst of the soldiers in a second.

He roared as he smashed two of their heads together with a resounding crack. They both went down in a heap, and his maces were in his hands a second later as he twirled, lashing out in both directions, knocking two more from their feet. He kicked a third full in the chest, smashing him into—and through—the wall behind him. The team working on getting into Trickster's cell were just coming out with Trickster, freed from his confines. Their eyes met, and suddenly Morkulv was staring at the wall, and his back lit up with a dozen shots. He went down again, and Grue swamped the place with his darkness. He heard muffled, barely audible shouting all around, and once again focused inwards, clearing his injuries and moving quickly, sliding through the darkness, following his nose, of all things. He ran into two more of the soldiers, and heaved them across the hallway, headfirst into the next wall. They went down, and he swept around. “Grue, I need to see.”

The darkness spread away in an instant, leaving a dazed and confused group of soldiers in its wake.

But Sundancer wasn't dazed or confused anymore, and they were face to face. And in her hands was her sun.

He could already feel the heat radiating from it, and he was about ten feet away. It was little larger than a basketball, but her eyes were full of anger, rage...

She flung her hands forward, and Morkulv layered the dark amor thick on his arms as he raised them to deflect it...

But the impact never came. He glanced up and saw New Wave members flooding the opposite side of the hallway. Shielder had her hands up, and a shield had sprung into being around the sun, containing it. Sundancer twirled, dismissing it and summoning another, launching it towards Shielder, but Lady Photon caught this one, holding it prisoner within a shielded cage.

Sundancer snarled as she dismissed it, raising her hands to summon another.

“This is futile, you know,” Glory Girl said, standing in front of Flashbang and Laserdream. “You can't escape, and you can't hope to overcome all of us. The Wards will be here soon, as well. You're outmatched. Surrender, and you'll be treated honorably.”

“Fed poison and tied to a bed?” Sundancer snapped.

“Sent to the Birdcage to rot? I have better things to do,” Trickster added. “Besides, I think you're forgetting someone. The Wards have their hands full, I'm sure of it.”

_Ballistic. Fuck._ Morkulv growled low in his throat, crouching, readying for another leap forward. “Twilight, Tattle, contact the Wards. Ballistic may be tangling with them.”

“On it,” Tattle responded immediately.

“Hey fuckers,” Skitter said, walking up the hallway Grue had come up. How had he gotten ahead of her? “I think you forgot about me.” And her swarm came barreling down the hallway, filling the entire corridor with their bulk.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Warren simply watched as the swarm slammed over the group, the insects dividing around allies, singling out soldiers and swarming over Trickster and Sundancer. Sundancer cried out and raised her hands to her face as Trickster twisted and slapped at bugs crawling over his face, into his eyes, ears, mouth as he opened it to yell out, up his nose... the soldiers dissolved into pure chaos as biting and stinging insects found their way into their uniforms, under their helmets, up their sleeves, into their gloves, down their pants...

Glory Girl raised her voice to be heard over the buzzing, hissing swarm. “Stand down, Travelers!”

Sundancer responded by blindly throwing out a small orb of her power, which killed several hundred insects all at once, burning Trickster, who was too close, and a couple of the soldiers. The orb careened into a wall, which began to melt, then Shielder had it wrapped up securely.

“Worm is gone,” he heard Twilight report from outside. “It's kind of quiet out here right now.”

“Guys, the Wards on their way back, they haven't encountered anyone else. Their ETA is soon.” Tattle paused for a moment. “I'll check with the PRT, see if they've any whereabouts for Ballistic.”

Sundancer flipped out another orb, burning another huge swath through the insect swarm. Skitter seemed to turn all of her attention to her as Morkulv went around, knocking the soliders out, putting them down quickly and rapidly.

Then Trickster was gone, and Skitter was standing in his place, immediately in front of Sundancer as she raised her hands, and the orb formed in her hands...

He heard her scream even without the aid of the earpiece, and launched himself forward, slamming into Sundancer with his shoulder even as Skitter fell backwards, most of the front of her uniform burned away, her chest and belly covered in horrific red blisters and massive burns.

“Skitter down,” Morkulv growled as Tattle was demanding updates. Glory Girl flew forward, setting her wait on Sundancer's wrists, pinning them to the ground with her hands, and thumped her in the forehead with a fist, knocking the girl out cold. Trickster was sprinting down the hallway, the swarm sluggishly following him. A guard rounded the corner, and he swapped places with him as he ran. “Trickster on his way out.”

Grue took off after Trickster. Glory Girl laid her hand on Morkulv's shoulders as he moved to Skitter, who was laying, crying and panting, her hands clenching and reaching for anything as she moaned in pain. He could barely stand looking at her. The damage was extensive.

“Go,” she said. “Panacea will see to her. I promise. Go.”

Morkulv looked into her eyes, then nodded, and shot after Trickster as fast as he could run as Glory Girl picked up the limp Sundancer, throwing her over her shoulder, and the others gathered around Skitter. Someone was calling for Panacea through the earpieces, but he tuned it out. The Travelers had just hurt someone he cared about...

He was going to hurt them back.

* * * * * * *

I watched the entrance warily, and as soon as Trickster appeared, launched two foam canisters.

“How bad is Skitter?” Tattle was asking for an update.

“Bad,” Glory Girl responded. “Panacea is seeing to her, it'll probably take a while.”

“She'll be alright though?”

“Soon.”

Tattle left it at that, and watched as the foam canisters bounced, and Trickster ported away, a guard getting stuck helplessly in the foam in his place. I cursed, and followed him, readying two more...

When suddenly the suit was tipping over, slamming against the ground and bouncing as it skidded across the torn up grass and dirt.

“What the hell?” I asked, Tattle falling to the side with a shout of surprise. Another impact skidded us further away, rolling the suit head over heels. By that time, I was reacting, pivoting, driving points down into the ground to stabilize and arrest our momentum, swiveling to face the direction the impacts had come from. Just in time to see a car slam into the front of the suit, wrapping around it with destructive force. It ripped my suit out of the ground and cast it rolling backwards, tumbling with the car. The noise was intense, the bouncing jolting roll sending Tattle all over the cockpit, bouncing off the the ceiling and walls, crying out as she jabbed her hip on the seat, then fell over the back, grabbing onto support struts to keep from slamming into the ceiling again as we rolled. When we came to a stop, I sliced the car apart with the cannons, ripping the halves off, and shot into the sky just as another ripped through the space we had just been in, slamming into the side of the building.

“Guess we know where Ballistic is,” I muttered, spinning and looping as the scanners brought up the ground image to my visor, locking on his location. I sprayed the place with bolts from the cannons, not caring if I hurt Ballistic at that point. He had done his very best to take me out of the fight without any preamble; I wasn't about to let him have another chance at it. One of the blasts incinerated the ground beneath his feet and launched him into the air, then he was suddenly on the other side of the street, an innocent bystander landing hard on the pavement in his place.

“Fuck Trickster,” I growled, sweeping the scanners, looking for his signal again. Darkness swamped the street, and out of it sprayed several items. A garbage can, a telephone pole, another car, a tire iron... in random directions, sending everyone running for cover as Ballistic laid his hands on anything and everything he could and launched it.

“Going in,” growled Morkulv, and I saw his figure dashing into the darkness like a blur, a garbage can clipping his shoulder and careening off without even slowing him. The spray of objects stopped a few seconds later, and Grue let the darkness evaporate. Morkulv was standing on Trickster, one foot on the back of his head holding him against the ground, face down so he couldn't see anything to swap with.

Then he staggered, and went to his knees, then jerked as a second shot punched through his chest, throwing him forward. Grue blanketed the place again.

“Snipers!” Tattle yelled. “Everyone get in cover!”

Shielder and Laserdream came out of the building. Shielder had a shield raised before them, and it sparked twice as two more shots careened off of it. Laserdream returned fire, a few bursts of white light sheering through a building's window.

The suit shook as a heavy shot clipped a cannon, and I twisted, spotting a sniper pair on a rooftop roughly half a block away, lining up a second shot. I didn't give them a chance. I fired the cannons, and the rooftop blackened as the bolts careened over the pair, wiping them from existence. I didn't focus on it, switching my attention back to the others. “Trickster's running again,” Morkulv growled. “Had to stop, heal myself. He got away.”

“On it,” Regent said, and I saw Trickster emerge from the darkness, only for his leg to spasm, and he went down in a heap, rolling onto his face again. As he tried to push himself up, his arm gave out, and he collapsed again, looking around for someone to swap with. Problem was... all the PRT officers were behind him, on the other side of Grue's darkness, the snipers were all in cover, and the street was completely empty. He tried to climb to his feet again and went down once more. I hit him with a spray of foam, completely burying him under it.

“Trickster contained. Where's Ballistic?”

“Went inside, I think,” Morkulv growled.

I glanced at the building next to the darkness, and performed a scanner sweep over it. “Five individuals inside. Two sniper pairs, fifth must be Ballistic. He's moving towards the roof.”

Morkulv shot out of the darkness, flying up to the roof. “Laserdream, fourth floor, third window.”

Laserdream annihilated the window. I saw the heat signature of the shooter fly backwards and slam into a wall and slump. It didn't get up. “Good hit.” I adjusted to the second team. “Second team is moving, following Ballistic up.”

Morkulv landed lightly on the top of the doorway's entryway, and crouched down, layering his black armor over him quickly, and thickly. He seemed to vanish straight into the shadows. I smiled at that, and brought the suit to the roof's edge, training two more foam canisters on the door itself. It opened, and I fired. Ballistic jumped and rolled across the roof, but the sniper team behind him wasn't so lucky, getting caught in the foam as it filled the stairway.

“Sniper team two in foam.”

Ballistic grabbed a box on the rooftop and launched it at me. I simply swung a cannon in the way, and batted it away. Morkulv leapt from his perch, and slammed into Ballistic's back, slamming him into the ground. Ballistic rolled, pushing upwards, and Morkulv shot into the sky, launched by his power. Then Ballistic rolled out of the way as I launched a canister of foam, managing to hit it with his foot and send it several blocks away. I frowned, and swung the cannons around, locking them onto him as he stood up, coming face to face with me as I hovered off the roof's edge.

“KC, loudspeaker on.”

[Affirmative.]

“Surrender. You get one chance. Trickster is down. Sundancer is still in custody. Soldiers are down. Sniper teams are handled. Wards are nearly here. You can't win alone.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then yelled out, “What if I do? You'll send me to the Birdcage?”

“That's not up to me. You'll have a better chance of making a deal if you don't force me to disable you,” I said.

“She's right,” Miss Militia said, stepping out of the stairway carefully. Behind her were Assault and Battery, side by side, ready for a fight. Miss Militia had her gun in her hands, trained on Ballistic. “If you surrender, any legal team is more likely to consider a plea bargain.”

Ballistic looked at them, looked at me... and raised his hands in surrender.

Morkulv shot back down, landing behind him. He was holding two of his black maces, but had heard the conversation, my end at least, and paused long enough to take in the scene. The maces dissipated away as the PRT took him into custody.

Tattletale put her hand on my shoulder, and I glanced up into her smiling face. “Looks like the Travelers are out of commission,” she reported.

* * * * * * *

We were all gathered around Taylor's bed. She was doing remarkably well. The healing process was taking some time, Panacea said because of the energy required to heal the extensive damage that had been done, and Taylor was ravenously hungry. That stood to reason. Hearing Panacea's report of the damage Taylor had suffered at Sundancer's hands had been terrifying; most of her chest had been incinerated, burned away. She didn't have much there to begin with, but the fatty tissue and muscles had all been burned away, exposing her ribcage, and even damaging and burning her lungs. It was a miracle she hadn't died straight away, Panacea had said. Her belly had suffered nearly as much damage, but she had been able to heal most of it within one setting. Another couple of days, she said, and Taylor would be good as new.

Currently, she was stuffing bread and meat into her face as fast as we could bring it in to her. Panacea had said this would be expected; her body was regrowing a lot of tissue, and it needed it from somewhere. So me and Tattle had dropped by the cafeteria and brought up a literal feast, enough to feed five people. So far, no one else had touched it, and only a few bites remained.

Warren was sitting in the corner of the room, his projector on, his coat back on, and looked exhausted. I wasn't sure why, but he had seemed the most concerned out of everyone about her well-being. I walked around, and pulled a chair next to his, and sat. We hadn't had a whole lot of time, just the two of us, since we had joined up. Everything seemed to be happening so fast since that time, and seeing the rest of the crew gathered around Taylor's bed, talking, laughing, getting her to smile, brought a smile to my face as well. Even Emma had come. She hadn't been involved in the fighting; not yet, anyway. She didn't have a suit yet, or a cape name, and the rest of New Wave didn't know about her and her powers yet. I would probably have that conversation soon with Lisa and Victoria. But for the moment, it was just me and Warren. I glanced up at him.

“You alright?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “Tired,” he said in his rough voice. “Haven't got a lot of sleep recently.”

“Don't forget to take care of yourself,” I said.

He nodded. “I'll get some sleep when we head back.”

The silence stretched between us for a moment, but it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. “You saw Taylor get hurt?”

He nodded. “Trickster swapped her, and she took one of Sundancer's orbs right to the chest. Nothing anyone could have done.”

I nodded. “But you blame yourself.”

He shrugged. “I could have been faster. Taken her out when it was obvious she wasn't going to surrender, done something.”

“But you gave her a chance to do the right thing, which is, in and of itself, the right thing to do, don't you think? You have to give people that chance. I did with Ballistic, and it worked. So it didn't this time. That's not your fault, it's hers.” I paused for another moment. “It's like everyone told me, after Bakuda... you can't blame yourself for the actions of others. Only they are responsible for what they do, when and how they do it. I did what I could at that point in time to protect the team. It resulted in a few deaths. Could I have done things differently? Sure. But if I had, then I wouldn't have a chance to learn from it, and grow. This is a lot like that. Could you have done something differently? Yes. Should you have? That's the question you have to answer. And live with that answer, no matter what it is.”

He looked at me for a long moment, then slipped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me into a hug. “I miss your brain,” he joked.

I smiled up at him. “It hasn't went anywhere. Yet.” I tapped the top of my head. “It's still in here.”

“Yeah, but I haven't got a chance to hear from it for a while. You've been busy.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “If the rumors are true, so have you.”

“Oh?”

I nodded. “Sleeping with half the Protectorate, the way I hear it. No wonder you're tired. You need to keep your bed empty for a night or two.”

He laughed lightly at that. “Perhaps I do. Perhaps I'm still searching for something.”

“Like what?”

He nodded towards Lisa, who was sitting on the edge of Taylor's bed, making her another sandwich from the last bit of food on the platter we had brought up. Emma was sitting on the other side, holding Taylor's hand comfortingly. I smiled at that. I had had a direct hand in bringing their friendship back together, and fixing the situation that had left both of them slightly damaged. “You have Lisa. You love her, right?”

I nodded without hesitation. “Yeppers.”

He chuckled slightly. “Maybe that's what I'm looking for. Someone who could love... this.” He waved a hand at himself.

I glanced him over. “A handsome man?” I asked with a little smirk.

He shook his head, but his lips did curl in a little smile. “You know what I mean.”

I nodded. “You'll find it. Probably when you least expect to, and from someone that you would never have guessed would even be interested to begin with.”

He shook his head slightly. “Your appearance really is deceiving, you know that?”

I glanced down at myself. “My eyes?”

He shook his head. “You look like such a little kid. But you act... on an entirely different level. It's no wonder others like Brian can do... what they do with you. They don't see you as a kid anymore.”

I stood up, and spun in a circle. “I don't look like a kid all that much,” I protested. “I have hips,” I said, cocking them to one side, to accent their curve, and turned my back to him, “and a nice bum,” I added, sticking it out at him slightly, then turned back around. “No breasts yet, though,” I said a little sadly, running my hands over my flat chest. “But. They're growing in.”

He shook his head slightly, but I had caught the look in his eye when I turned back around, and caught his gaze traveling back up to meet my eyes from where it had lingered on my bum. I felt a little heat in the pit of my tummy as I realized... he wanted me, too. I perched myself on his knee, and leaned over to him. “I can prove more to you later. After you get some rest for me.”

He placed a hand on my thighs, a little high, but I didn't mind. “Sounds like a deal to me,” he growled lightly.

I leaned over, and gave him a peck on the cheek, then hopped off his lap, and rejoined the others. We had reason to be happy... another victory for the Undersiders was in the books.

* * * * * * *

It was two days before Taylor left the hospital. The interim was relatively quiet. The only Travelers member not in custody was Genesis, and there had been no sign of her whatsoever. Trickster was held in solitary confinement and kept blindfolded, while Sundancer had been returned to her heavily sedated form of containment, while they awaited trial. It was a mere formality. Everything they were responsible for meant they would be facing a certain sentencing for the Birdcage. Ballistic was held in custody, but was in the process of making a bargain to join the PRT after a probationary sentence. The soldiers that had survived the fight had been taken to a regular prison, to be held until they also went to trial. There were multiple counts of murder each one were to stand trial for. The PRT's officers and reps had taken quite a hit during the fight, with around twenty casualties. Of course, clean-up efforts were estimated in the millions. There was the damage to the HQ building itself to account for, and it appeared that the worm form that Genesis had used had tunneled in from just outside the city. The tunnel had collapsed in several spots, resulting in streets caving in, a couple building collapses, and other structural damage to lines and pipes.

Meanwhile, New Wave as a whole had received another city-based thank you for their actions, and the Undersiders once again were in public attention as national heroes, as the ones that had went head-to-head with the national terrorists, the Travelers, and thumped them.

I sat in my apartment, several pieces of my equipment laid out around me. I had build Tattle a visor to replace her normal mask, making it in the same style, and installed my software onto it, and made her a glove that linked to it, so she could issue commands to the visor with simple taps of her fingers. I had integrated a very similar finger-tapping system into the control panel on my suit, eliminating the need for half the switches and buttons, and currently, I was absorbed in designing a control system, to operate more than one suit simultaneously.

As much as I loved the idea of having Lisa with me at all times while in the air, the chances of being distracted, as I had been on patrol before, were all too strong. I needed to build and design another suit that she could use, or when she wasn't in it, that I could operate remotely, through KC. I had the schematics drawn up, and most of the control systems. Now it was just a question of getting my hands on the right materials to fabricate the rest of it.

A brief conversation with Victoria and Amy had the materials on their way through their suppliers. They had started to show up piecemeal, and I began simple, building the propulsion and weapons systems separately, prepping them for install into the larger framework of the new suit once I had it built. At the same time, we had also filled Victoria in on Emma's presence. They had been excited at the prospect, and welcomed her with open arms.

Emma had settled on the name Selkie, after the mythical creature. I had already coded her earpiece and cam, and had given them both to her. Taylor and Lisa were both helping her come up with a costume. One of Emma's first, and most important stipulation, was that her new self was completely and utterly separated from her last, in every way that it could be. So, Lisa bought some hair dye, and they had a girls night in our apartment while me and Missy had sat watching movies, eating a literal fuckton of popcorn, and drinking twice our body weight in soda.

First they had dyed Emma's hair black, pure raven black, then added in highlighted streaks of various shades of blue. Lighter blue towards the front, darker towards the back, then curled the highlighted streaks while straightening the rest in such a way that even standing still, her head had taken on the appearance of water. It was really quite cool to see Taylor and Lisa smiling and working with her that first night Taylor was home. She also took Emma's measurements, and said she was starting working on a suit for her right away. Lisa procured some dye that they believed would work on the spider silk, so they could make her costume entirely custom once it was done.

The next night, I was laying on the couch, working idly on a small device in my hands. I had got the idea while watching a movie, when the hero had some advanced little gadget that he threw out, and it spread out in a predesignated pattern before going off with a series of explosions. I wanted something a little less lethal, but still debilitating. So I had come up with the idea of what I was calling the “taser net”... a device that I could throw at the feet of someone that would be rather overlooked. Something plain, that would give off a little whine and give the impression of a failed... whatever.

But what it would do from that point would actually be directly controlled by KC. A little remote operator installed in the shell, and KC could analyze the surroundings of the canister, and if an enemy cape was in range, detonate the case at an opportune moment, launching a web over them. The web would be made of Taylor's spidersilk, so super strong, and I would weave some metal hooks in it to catch clothing or even flesh in superficial ways, then a strong current could be run through it, effectively tasing the person inside the net.

It wouldn't work for every cape. There were many who wore armor that would absorb it, or were durable to the point of shrugging it off. But someone like Sundancer, or Trickster? It would bring them down quickly and efficiently.

I jumped up as someone knocked on our door. I glanced at Lisa, who gave me a curious look. I knew she probably already knew who was at the door, and by the curious look I figured it wasn't one of our regulars, Missy, Taylor, or Emma. I bounced over and opened the door.

“Warren!” I greeted. He smiled down at me. He had his projector on, but had taken off his long coat, and wasn't wearing a shirt, as per his usual. The result was that his finely tuned physique was on display, and fake or not, I had seen him with the projector off to know he had the muscles under it to back up the fake show.

“Hello,” he greeted.

“Come in!” I bounced backwards, literally, hopping with both feet together. He glanced at me, and I merely gave him a wide grin in return. I shut the door behind him, as he glanced around, eyeing the suit and the plethora of parts and pieces laying around it. I had taken a couple the components apart that had been damaged when Ballistic had slammed multiple cars into me, and was still in the process of installing a seat in the back for Lisa, for the meantime until I could get the second suit completed.

“You look like you've been busy,” he noted.

I giggled. “Yeah. I keep busy with it. Always working on making it better. I did some quick calculations on it this morning, right now it's operating at 184.73% efficiency from when I got it from Dragon. And people say she's the best.” I smiled.

He laughed. “Well. That is impressive. Lisa.” He nodded as she stood from where she had been sitting at the table with her laptop in front of her.

“Heya, big guy. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Warren grinned. “Actually, Kelsey here. Something she said the other day.”

I frowned for a moment, before remembering our conversation by Taylor's hospital bed. “Oh!” I said. Then my cheeks flushed, and I grinned. “Oh. Yeah.” I bit my lip as I glanced at Lisa. She looked at me for a moment, then back at Warren, and a slow smile spread across her face as she realized what the ohs were about.

“Hmm. Did my little Kels here promise you some attention?”

Warren nodded, watching her walk over. She swayed her hips with just a touch of exaggeration, and she looked like pure sex walking. She was sexy, lithe, lean, irresistible. I felt an immediately clenching low in my belly as I watched her. She was dressed in simple yoga pants and a lose top, pink, that showed her bra straps on her shoulders. I was also in yoga pants, but had a tanktop on top. “She did,” Warren said in a low growl as Lisa reached him, and put one hand on his chest, looking up into his eyes. She wasn't all that much taller than me, so she barely came up to the middle of his chest, but still... she was sexy.

“Well. We can't make a liar out of her, now can we?” Lisa purred, and I shivered. She looked at me and winked.

I smiled. “That would be bad,” I agreed, moving around, next to her before Warren. He put an arm around each of us, carefully holding the both of us.

“As this would be for you,” Lisa purred again, smoothing her hand down his chest, “I think it only fair if you get to decide what happens from here.”

Warren grinned, and his hand slipped up my back, drawing my tanktop up as it came to the middle of my back, and he drew me in front of him. “I definitely need to sample... everything... that both of you have to offer,” he mused, as I pressed against his front. With his groin against my upper belly, I could feel his cock stirring in his pants just from the feeling of me against it. “Shall we start with a little stripshow?”

Lisa grinned, and ran her hands down my side from behind me, pressing against my back briefly before drawing back, her hands coming back up and catching my tanktop, drawing it up and off, over my head. I shook my head to free my hair as it fell back over my shoulders, falling down my back, and he grinned as he leaned me back just a touch in his arms, looking down at my small chest, his eyes resting on my small pink nipples.

Now, when we had got home from our shift, Lisa had literally fucked me until I couldn't move with the little strapon I had got for the two of us, but since then we hadn't had sex, so it had been a couple of days, and I felt my body responding instantly and deliciously to the feeling of being bare before him, exposed so to speak. He put his other hand over my chest, rubbing my tiny breasts and little erect nipples with his palm. The projector was amazingly high tech, but still didn't fool the sense of touch, yet. I hadn't quite figured out that step yet, so feeling his furry belly, his furry hands on me, made me shiver. His body was hot, amazingly so, and I pushed closer, feeling his cock twitch under his jeans, and grinned, tracing it's growing shape with one finger though his pants, gently rubbing against it with both my hand and body.

Behind me, Lisa switched the TV over to an electronic music station. She turned the volume up, pumping the sound through our entertainment center, which was amazing, and had nearly club-like sound quality. The bass hit and shook, and I grinned as I felt her come up behind me again, swaying her hips to the music, her palms on my shoulders as she gyrated, then turned so we were back to back. I felt her full soft bottom press against mine, then her back arched away, and she bent over, pushing me forward into Warren harder as she lowered her torso, and let her loose top slide straight down over her shoulders, dropping into her hands and tossed it aside lightly. Her bra underneath was hot pink, with black straps. I liked it. And pushed back into her, feeling her soft breasts press into my back slightly, looking over my shoulder at her. She stroked my cheek with a hand, then lowered her lips to mine in a soft kiss, then backed away from us as Warren turned me around, sitting on the couch, and pulled me into his lap. I rubbed my bottom against his hardening cock, and leaned back against his furry chest as he put his arms around me, his palms running up and down my thighs. I leaned back further and looked up at him.

“Did you take my advice?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “Haven't fucked since before the fight at the PRT building.”

I smiled. “So this...” I wiggled my bottom against his cock again, feeling it jerk against me, “is nice and full of cum for us?”

He nodded. “Oh God yes. And keep doing that.” His eyes were locked on Lisa as she continued to dance to the music as I ground on his lap, gyrating my hips in a circle, then back and forth, then around in a circle again, his cock pressing up against the crease of my bottom cheeks through the layers of clothing.

Lisa turned her back to us, her bottom swaying again, and pulled down her yoga pants just a little, giving us a teasing glimpse at the pale flesh beneath, only semi-covered by her panties, which matched her bra. My breathing was beginning to quicken as I ground on Warren's lap harder, and his hands came up to my waist, hooking his thumbs into the band of my yoga pants, and pulled them down. I helped him get them off my calves, and pressed my panty-clad bottom back into his cock harder. I was wearing lime-green and black striped panties, and as his palms ran up my thighs, he coaxed them open, until his palm was covering my pussy, so I was grinding between it and his cock. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “You have no idea how long I've wanted you.”

I shivered slightly, and pressed my bottom into him harder still, turning my head and kissing his cheek. He reached behind himself with his other hand, and flicked his projector off, then licked my cheek and ear, his long tongue curling around and dipping into my super-sensitive ears, making me shiver and getting me immediately wet.

Lisa pulled her yoga pants down to her knees, and tuned back around, putting her hands above her head, swaying her body from side to side, crouching down, running her hands down her sides, watching us closely, then peeled the pants off her feet, and stood back to her full height, now clad only in her bra and panties. I watched her, my mouth slightly open as my breathing sped up more, and she walked over, standing before me as Warren licked my neck, tipping my head to the side to run his tongue up and down my smooth neck, then over my cheek. I turned my head, and it slipped into my mouth. I sucked on it, wrapping my tongue around it, and he wiggled it within my mouth, working it in and out, pumping it slowly, as if it was his cock, slowly fucking my mouth, in and out... I moaned and pressed my bottom into his hard cock again, his palm working my pussy. I was already so wet that my juices were seeping into my panties, making them damp against his palm. He pulled his tongue away, and pulled his hand up my belly, leaving a damp trail over one breast, then held his palm before my lips. I stuck my tongue out and licked the dampness from it, and he grinned, rubbing my nipples with his other hand before sliding his wet hand back down, this time working it under my panties to cup my bare smooth sex.

Lisa straddled his legs, and kissed me, then pressing her bra-covered breasts against me, straightened up as Warren licked her cheek and stuck his tongue into her mouth now. Her cheeks hollowed out as she sucked on it, moving like she was sucking his dick instead. I wrapped my arms around her small body and undid her bra, pulling the straps down her arms, letting her bare breasts and hard little nipples rub against my own. I dropped her bra to the side, and scooted down a little in his lap to suckle on her breasts, wrapping my lips around one pebbled nipple and licking it gently, sucking on it hard, nibbling on her breast before licking my way across to the other, making her moan around Warren's tongue. His hard cock rubbed against my bottom as I moved, and slid my hands around her hips, grabbing Lisa's ass, squeezing the firm cheeks and pulling her close.

I gasped as I felt a cool tendril trail down my spine, working its way under my panties, down the valley of my bottom, between my spread thighs, and up until it was sliding between my pussylips, spreading them open very slightly, the tip of the tendril snaking around my clit and tweaking it. Warren's hands replaced my own on Lisa's firm yet soft little ass, massaging and rubbing it as I continued to suck on her beautiful breasts and hard little nipples. The tendril between my legs slid down slightly, and I felt the tip sliding into my wet hole, gliding right in, working its way up inside of me until I felt it touch my cervix, then it began to swell. I moaned as it writhed within my pussy, seemingly everywhere at once as it rolled and twisted and grew within me, stretching my tiny passage open, pushing up against my cervix, getting as deep as it could, filling literally every inch of my canal.

Warren slid us off of his lap, onto the floor before him. We ended up face to face, Lisa kissing me, her tongue driving into my mouth repeatedly. I moaned loudly as the tendril didn't stop moving inside me, under my panties, beginning to draw back and push back in ever so slightly, making me clench around it as it stimulated me thoroughly. I moaned again as Warren stood long enough to pull down his pants, exposing his long hard cock, and then Lisa was guiding my head to it, my tongue coming out to trace over his hard head before drawing it into my small mouth. He pushed his hips up, driving it in as deep as it could go. I coughed as it slid into the back of my throat, then Lisa's hand on the back of my head coaxed me down further, and suddenly he was in my throat to the base. I was swallowing constantly around his hard shaft, and he groaned, rolling his hips up against me, pushing hard against my mouth. I drew back, and Lisa pulled me back, then took him into her mouth, sucking him in completely.

We began to switch back and forth. She would deepthroat him and hold the position as long as she was able, then we would switch, and I would take him into my throat, and back and forth we went. Warren growled low in his throat each time his cock was buried to the hilt in us. I glanced down and saw a thin black line going into Lisa's panties, and knew she had something buried up inside of her pussy like I did mine, and moaned as it suddenly flexed and began to vibrate, falling against her shoulder. She pulled off his cock with a little cry as she came, thrusting her hips at the black tendril buried up inside of her. I licked a line of her saliva off his cock, then took him back into my throat.

Then he was pushing us both back. “I need to fuck, and now,” he growled. I spun around, so I was on all fours, and pushed my bottom up, reaching back and pulling my panties down and off one leg, leaving them tangled around my knee. He crouched behind me, and the tendril vibrating inside of me vanished. I only had a moment to mourn its absence... then his cock was sliding into me. I was so wet, so ready, that he slid right in, to the base. His cockhead up against my cervix, filling me completely, stretching me in a way that made me shiver. Lisa lay before me, legs spread, and Warren pushed my shoulders down, burying my face in her pussy.

Lisa grinned as I began to lick and finger her immediately, sucking up her sweet juices. The black tendril shrank and slid out of her pussy, and before my eyes, slid down to her bottom. She pulled her legs up to her shoulders, spread wide open, and the tendril snaked into her bottom, then swelled again. Lisa's head fell back with a loud moan as Warren began to fuck me in earnest, his hands on my bottom and hips holding me in place while he began to pull out and push in quick and hard. I panted into Lisa's pussy, my fingers buried inside her wet sex, curling and stroking while I sucked on her small clit, making her moan and whine, cumming again...

I followed her into orgasm, my body jerking as Warren slammed into me, and set me off. I exploded like a pent-up firework, lights dancing before my eyes as everything swam in my mind. I couldn't think, couldn't even comprehend what was happening as my orgasm shook my body with pure, unfiltered pleasure. He hammered into me again, and again, driving me from one to the next. I cried out into Lisa's sex, and drove my fingers into her harder. I could feel the tendril up her ass, vibrating within her, and sucked on her clit, pressing it against my teeth, and she howled as she came again, her hips bucking upwards.

I couldn't stop cumming... didn't want to stop cumming. One orgasm rolled into the next, into the next, into the next... my world dissolved and I slumped. Lisa scooted down so I was laying on her firm tummy as Warren pounded me. She stroked my hair and cooed at me as I cried out and moaned, panting for breath, her juices and cum smeared across my cheeks and chin.

Then he pushed in hard, and howled at the ceiling as he came. I felt it like a jet going off inside of me, his cum blasting into my womb, filling it, overflowing down my tight pussy and running down my thighs. He slumped backwards, sliding out of me, and I fell prone, unable to even think about moving, my entire body limp, completely and utterly sated. He was breathing hard behind me while Lisa continued stroking my face, murmuring soft words to me. I curled up, feeling the darkness flickering in... and smiled weakly at her before passing out completely.

* * * * * * *

Warren grinned. His whole body felt drained. He had withheld on any sex until now, knowing it would be well worth it, and indeed it had been. Lisa glanced up at him as Kelsey passed out on her belly, still stroking the girl's hair softly. “Hand me a pillow?” she asked with a little grin.

Warren grabbed one off the couch and handed it over. She tucked it behind her neck, and smiled. “Ah, that's better.” Then she looked at him again. “Have fun?”

“Fuck yeah,” he responded at once. “I'm not even sure when I'll be able to stand again.”

She laughed. “You? What about poor Kels here? She's probably not going to be able to walk right for a few days.”

He grinned. “That just means I did my job well.”

Lisa giggled. “I guess so.” She looked at the ceiling for a moment. “I've been meaning to ask you.. and this seems like a good a time as any. How did you know her, before?”

“Before..?” he asked. Grey areas again. They sucked so badly.

“Before you guys were in the bank that day. Before you wound up with us, the Undersiders. You've been a w hirlwind of change in our lives ever since. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”

He drew a few deep breaths before replying. “We were... good friends. We've known each other for a while. She used to... do some work for me. Little things, here and there.”

Lisa studied him, and he could tell immediately that from her look she knew a lot more was there, and she was getting pieces and parts of it. “There's something I can't figure out about you two,” she said softly.

“Hmm?” he asked carefully.

“You're a shadow, a mystery. I can't figure out anything about you. She's the opposite. Pure, innocent. Everything she says has the absolute ring of fabricated truth.”

“Fabricated truth?”

She nodded. “It's true, to her. She believes it. But it's not true. The memories are fake. I can't tell how I know, but I do.” She eyed him. “Do you know why that is?”

He hesitated a long moment before he finally found an answer he could respond with. He didn't want to lie. Not to Lisa, not after this, and knowing what she meant to Kelsey. “I literally cannot tell you. It's a block, of sorts. That's all I can say about it.”

Lisa nodded. “I figured as much. I just want you to know... some day, I am going to figure it out.”

_I hope you do. I really, honestly do. If I could help you with this, I would, immediately._

 


	17. Chapter 17

I woke to Lisa's hands on my shoulders, gently shaking me. I blinked a few times, and sat up, rubbing my eyes, trying to get my vision to center. I picked up my glasses and slid them on, and she was sitting in front of me. The apartment was still dark. “What time is it?” I mumbled.

“Like, three thirty. In the morning,” she said, in a whisper.

I looked around and saw Warren sleeping behind me. He was laying on his back on the couch, one leg and arm hanging off, the other arm folded across his chest as he slept. I groaned slightly as I looked back at Lisa. We had been laying in a pile of blankets she had apparently got out for us on the floor. “Why so early?”

She smiled. “I have to go take care of a couple things. Just wanted to let you know I probably won't be back until late this afternoon.”

That woke me up. “What things? So early?”

She shushed me with a finger against my lips. “Nothing to worry about. I got a couple messages, and I need to go handle them, that's all.”

“Do you need any help?”

She shook her head. “No, I'll be alright. I'll just be out of touch for a little bit. Don't worry about me, okay?”

I nodded sleepily. “Okay. Love you. Be safe.”

She hugged me, and kissed my forehead. “Love you too.”

Then she was gone, slipping away. I watched the door close behind her quietly, then laid back down, sleep overcoming me again nearly immediately.

When I roused again, this time it was to Warren, waking up. He stretched and growled on the couch, and my eyes opened. It was a much more respectable time to be waking up. Sunlight was shining through the windows, the sun already up above the other buildings all around. I stretched, and rolled onto my back, glancing at Warren.

It was about then I realized two things: one, I was still naked, and two, I was sore. My groin ached, but not obnoxiously, and my thighs twinged with objections as my legs closed and moved. I rolled onto my tummy, and pushed myself up a little. I noticed immediately when he glanced over at me, and his eyes roved downwards, down my back, resting on my bottom for a moment, then came back to look me in the eye. I gave him a little smile, which he returned, and bit my lip. “Morning,” I said, to break the silence.

“Morning.” He growled lightly, and sat upright, swinging his legs around before him. He was also naked still, I noted, seeing his cock standing up a little between his legs. When once again we made eye contact, this time he had the sly little smile, and my cheeks flushed slightly. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

I nodded. I didn't really trust myself to speak openly about it... not yet. But I had.

“Do you want to... sample some more?” he growled lightly. And I realized that I did. Very much so. I nodded, and he spread his legs a little, and leaned back against the couch, gesturing at his cock. “It's all yours,” he said. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, and crawled over between his legs, placing my hands on his knees and lifting myself up, sitting on my heels as I leaned over, wrapping one small hand around his shaft.

He smiled down at me as I looked up at him, pulling his cock down, pointing it towards me, squeezing it gently in my hand. With my other, I stroked it softly, running my fingers up and down its length. I leaned forward, and took his head into my mouth. He tasted like... well, like me. I could taste my own dried cum on him, mingled with what could only be his own cum, and ran my tongue around his head, sucking on it softly, cleaning it with a few quick licks, slowly taking just a little more into my mouth, and licking it clean as well. I leaned back, pulling off, and angled it upwards, lowering myself down and sticking my tongue out to lick from the base of the bottom of his cock all the way up to the top, swirling my tongue around the head, then moving back down and repeating the action on one side, then the other. He groaned a little, and his cock jumped in my hands as it got even harder, and I continued to lick slowly from base to tip, getting it all nice and clean and wet with my saliva. Then I sucked him back into my mouth, pushing down as far as I could without taking him into my throat, and sucked again, rubbing against the smooth underside of his hard shaft with my tongue, pulling back and licking his head, playing with the little slit in his cock with the tip of my tongue, teasing him, getting him harder and harder still, until he reached down, placing one hand on the back of my head, and pushed me down as he pumped his hips upwards, piercing into my tight little throat completely.

I groaned around his cock, swallowing constantly to keep my gag reflex at bay, my throat rippling and massaging his shaft and head within it, and he began to pump his hips, slowly, fucking my mouth as if it were my pussy, sliding it in and out with ease as I relaxed my jaw, opening wide, keeping my tongue moving around him quickly. He began moving faster as I sucked harder, his hand on the back of my head pressing me down harder and harder.

I began to feel rather wet, hot between my own legs, and wiggled my stance open a bit as he face-fucked me, slipping one hand down between my own smooth thighs and finding my little slit, rubbing it with two fingers, pressing against my clit, sending sparks of arousal and sensation through me while he moved faster still, his breathing getting heavier and heavier. I knew he was going to cum soon, and it delighted me, made me even hotter. I slipped my fingers down, and pushed one up inside of myself. My pussy was wet and slick, my finger sliding easily up inside of my tight passage. I wiggled my hips against my hand slightly, and he slid his cock back into my mouth, laying the head on my tongue, holding my head in place...

And exploded in my mouth. It was the first time anyone had cum in my mouth in such a fashion. The first shot of his cum took me by surprise, and filled my mouth completely, making me jerk back slightly, my mouth hanging open, filled with his white cream, then another shot hit my nose and across my cheek. The next shot back into my mouth, overflowing it, running down my chin to drip onto my chest. He shot several more times, literally painting my face white with his thick cum. I sat there, mouth hanging open, filled with it, with strings dangling from my cheeks and chin, a drop hanging from my nose, one eye closed and covered with a sheen of cum. He chuckled as he looked down at me, and I cocked my head slightly.

I closed my mouth, and swallowed what I had in it, then, while licking my lips, said, “Okay... that's the first time anyone has done that to me.”

He chuckled again. “You look good in cum,” he joked.

I stood up, rolling my one eye at him. “I'm gonna go take a shower,” I said, holding one hand under my chest to catch any drips from getting on the carpet, and hurried to the bathroom. No sooner did I have the water on, and climbed into the spray, than Warren came in behind me, sliding the door open, and stepping in behind me. I looked at him with a little smile, and passed him the soap. I scrubbed myself clean, the ache between my legs slowly subsiding as I moved, and worked myself lose. He washed my back, and then... I gasped as I felt a little something tickle my inner thigh, and looked down to see a little black tendril slipping up between my thighs, until it covered my pussy. I spread my legs slightly, staring downwards at it as it began to rub against me. Then his hands on my shoulders pressed me over slightly.

“Hold on to the rail,” he growled, and I did so, bending nearly horizontal with the ground as his hands coaxed my legs further apart. He slid onto his back in the shower stall below me, then coxed me down, slowly, first to my knees, then a little more, still bending forward...

Until my pussy was in his range. The little black tendril vanished in a wisp, and his tongue replaced it, running between my lips, sliding up inside of me a little. I moaned and felt my tummy clench as the rough texture of his tongue swirled over my clit, rubbing it back and forth as he licked a few more times, bringing me down a little more to sit on his face. I whimpered as his tongue wiggled down, and into my hole, pushing up inside of me, a wet, wiggling appendage that worked around inside of me, bringing me pleasure unlike any other tongue ever had.

It didn't take long for his tongue to bring me to a swift orgasm, my hips rocking over his wolfish snout as I came, my juices flowing freely now. My legs shook and spasmed as I did, and he grinned up at me, and coaxed me back to my feet. I stood, on wobbly knees, and he shut the water off and handed me a towel.

About the time I stepped out, the doorbell rang.

* * * * * * *

Warren wrapped a second towel around his waist, admiring the flash of skin Kelsey gave him as she opened the door and dashed to the front door. He followed at a more leisurely pace, catching sight of her fixing the towel around her torso before opening the door. “Oh hey!” she cried.

He saw Missy step into the room, smiling. “Bad time?” she asked, gesturing to the towel.

“Nah, just got out of the shower. What's up?”

Missy shrugged. “I was just a little bored. Thought I'd come see if you wanted to hang out or something today.”

Kelsey shot her a dazzling smile. “Of course. I love spending time with you. Oh, by the way, Warren is here too. Say hi, Warren!” she called back to him.

He grinned as he ducked back into the other room quickly, finding his pants and stepping into them. He thumbed his projector on before appearing around the corner. “Hello, Missy.”

She looked at him, and blushed slightly. The projector was ideal at picking up and broadcasting true-to-life little details, like the fact that his chest was still wet from his shower, and that he wasn't wearing a shirt. His hair was a stylish mess, his face a little scruffy looking. To a teenage girl, in other words, he was the definition of walking sex. “Hey,” she said lightly.

“What are you girls going to get up to? Nothing bad, I hope.”

Kelsey shot him a smirk. “I think I got all the 'bad' out of my system this morning already.”

Missy looked between them, and suddenly connected the dots. “You two... showered together?”

Kelsey giggled. Warren saw his opportunity, and took it. He had used just the smallest touch of his power on Kelsey this morning, though he was pretty sure that it hadn't really been necessary. He used about the same feather-light touch on Missy, and felt her mind accept it easily. “We did,” he confirmed. “She needed a shower after I covered her face in cum.”

Missy glanced at Kelsey, her mouth hanging open. “You didn't!”

Kelsey merely beamed in response.

Missy glanced at Warren. “Is he.... fun?”

Kelsey glanced at him, then back at Missy. “Go find out. He doesn't bite... unless you want him to.”

Missy walked over to him slowly. She was wearing a short pair of athletic shorts, and a tight top that matched the shorts, leaving her arms and legs mostly bare. She was a little more developed than Kelsey, though honestly not that much. Her breasts were a little larger, but her bottom half was nearly identical, with hips just starting to widen out and thighs starting to fill out. “I've... well. Only with Kid Win...” she murmured, mostly to herself. “Can... can I see it?” she asked softly.

Warren simply grinned, and undid his pants, then waved a hand at his groin. “If you'd like to, take a look yourself.”

Missy bit her lip, then Kelsey put one hand on her back and pushed her forward slightly. Missy ended up sitting next to him on the couch, and reached over, pulling the flaps of his jeans open. He wasn't wearing anything beneath them, and as the cloth separated, she gave a little gasp as she saw his cock. It was still mostly soft, but the thoughts and ideas of what he wanted to do to and with Missy and Kelsey both were running through his head, making his blood pump through his veins, and it was beginning to twitch to life even as her small fingers fished it out, and brought it upright. She “oo”d and “ahh”d at it for a moment, then wrapped her small hand around him and stroked it slightly. He hardened quickly in her novice grip.

“Kelsey, perhaps you should show her some... tips?” he suggested. Kelsey grinned at him knowingly, and let her towel fall around her feet, sitting behind Missy, pressing up against her side and back. She slid her hand down Missy's arm, and covered her hand with her own, guiding it in a stroking motion, up and down.

“Like this,” Kelsey said softly, with her other hand sliding up under Missy's top, resting on her toned belly. Warren looked over at the two girls as Missy turned her head to Kelsey, and their lips met, almost absently as their hands worked on his cock, Kelsey's hand squeezing around Missy's and guiding her motions in long, smooth, slow strokes up and down his already rock-hard length.

He watched as Kelsey's tongue slid out, between their mouths, and dipped into Missy's, then watched her return the favor, then their tongue sliding together in the space between them... he groaned and reached over, pulling at Missy's shorts. Kelsey lowered her other hand, and helped him undress her, until she was sitting between them, naked. Her pale smooth body was slightly flushed as Kelsey lowered her head to a breast and suckled on a nipple. Missy's hand was moving on his cock alone now as Kelsey switched all her attention to the girl, rubbing her thighs and sucking on her hard little nipples, switching back and forth between the two as her fingers slowly worked their way up her slim thighs to her puffy, bare little slit, caressing it gently.

She looked up at Warren for a moment, her finger partly up inside of Missy. “Mm. She still has her hymen,” she purred.

Warren felt his cock jump. “Well. We need to remedy that,” he growled. Kelsey smiled, and sucked an erect pink nipple between her lips, rolling it gently with her teeth. Missy moaned and raised her hips against Kelsey's hand between her legs, which were opening wider with every passing movement of the fingers stroking her little sex. Warren reached over, and picked Missy straight up, standing her before him, and gently pressed down on her shoulders, so she was kneeling before him. Then, taking his cock in one hand, he held it up, and brought her head down into his lap with his other hand... she seemed to know instinctively what he wanted, or perhaps she had done at least a little of this before, for her mouth opened, and he groaned happily as the warm, wet cavern of her mouth took the head of his dick inside. He pushed down until she coughed and pulled back, the head nudging against the back of her throat. Deciding not to push that issue just yet, he let her set her own limits, and stroked her hair back from her face as she bobbed her head up and down slowly, her tongue wiggling against his cock. Having just had his cock sucked by Kelsey, he was set to last quite a while, and instead of pushing for immediate gratification, sat back and enjoyed the sensations. She wasn't quite as skilled as Kelsey had been, which to him meant that she didn't have as much as experience as the slightly younger girl, but that was okay with him. She felt good, regardless.

He watched as Kelsey slipped down behind Missy, pulling her hips backwards a little bit, and began to kiss and lick her back and bottom, kissing up and down her spine, her tongue darting out here and there to leave little wet spots that she blew across, making the girl shiver as she worked her way all the way down to her bottom, then back up, then down again... this time delving lower, her tongue coming out at the top of the valley between her cheeks and disappearing down between them... Missy's eyes widened, and she moaned loudly around his cock as Kelsey set to work behind her, evidently licking and sucking in all the right places, as Missy rocked back against her and her head sped up, bobbing up and down a little faster now, taking just a touch more of his cock into her mouth with every movement.

He groaned, watching until he knew he needed to take control, and fuck one, or both of the girls. He wanted to feel Kelsey's wet and willing pussy wrapped around his cock again, and he almost hurt, he wanted to take Missy's virginity so badly. He pulled her mouth up, and stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb. “Time for the next step,” he growled, and stood up. He pushed her forward slightly, so her chest was laying on the couch, with her hips and bottom pointed upwards. Kelsey assumed the same position immediately next to her, and kissed her friend again. He watched their tongues swirling together, saw their fingers intertwined as they held hands, hips and thighs touching as they wiggled their delicious little bottoms at him. He knelt behind Kelsey first.

He rubbed his cock against her small slit, and she spread her legs a touch more, pushing back into him, her wet pussy opening around his slick cock, and he slid into her a little bit, then pushed his hips forward, burying himself into her tight, hot body. He groaned as she cried out at the penetration, her body rippling around his cock. He grinned, and laid a hand on Missy's hip, a little black tendril sliding from one finger down between her legs, finding her pussy, sliding between her lips and finding her swollen clit. It wrapped around it, mimicking a sucking and squeezing motion. She gasped and her hips pressed backwards as pleasure rolled through her as well. He pumped his hips hard and fast in Kelsey's small, tight body, rocking her forwards into the couch repeatedly. She gasped, whimpered, moaned, and panted as he fucked her hard and fast, making her cum again, then again right after, her body jerked as her juices poured down her thighs and coated his own.

He pulled out of her, and wiggled his way sideways as she lay panting on the couch, staring into Missy's wide eyes as she felt the pressure on her clit intensify as his cock rubbed against her virgin entrance. He leaned over her back, whispering in her ear, “This will hurt, but only for a moment. Then, it will feel good. Relax as much as you can, and let the pleasure roll through you, it will help.”

She nodded, groaning as his thick cock nudged her lips apart, pressing into her just slightly. He pressed his hips forward more, and felt her tight, slick entrance swallow the head of his cock, and pressed in just a touch more until he felt the resistance of her maidenhead. He paused only a moment, to grip her hips tightly, then yanked her back onto him while pushing forward through it quickly. She cried out, in pain and pleasure, and he groaned as he felt her body grip him like a too-small glove, searing hot and wet, slick with her arousal and the cum on his cock from Kelsey's body helping aid in the penetration. She pushed back against him hard, and he pressed in until he felt her cervix bulging against his cockhead, straining to hold him back from sliding deeper within her. She panted and moaned as he fucked her, starting slow, but with the build up from Kelsey, unable to keep it that way.

The girls kissed again, and Kelsey stroked her hair and face while Missy moaned and panted for breath. She came quickly, just like Kels had, and he fucked her into a second orgasm, then a third, making her cry out and buck against him. He couldn't contain it any longer, and pulled out of her wet, tight body, and stroked up between her bottom cheeks as his orgasm ripped through him, his cum spilling out across her back in thick white ropes. She gasped as she felt his hot cum layer up thick on her back, and Kelsey watched, smiling and giggling.

Once his orgasm subsided, he sat back, looking at the mess he had left from her bottom to her shoulders, and smiled. Kelsey giggled again. “Time for another shower then?” she giggled, and took Missy's hand, leading her to the restroom, both girls walking on wobbly legs. Kels glanced back at Warren and winked at him. “No boys allowed this time.”

* * * * * * *

I yawned, leaning against Missy's shoulder. She was leaning back against me as we watched the movie on TV, some silly stupid show about an unlikely hero figure doing his best to save the kingdom in some half comedy, half action show about medieval times. It was funny, at times, but not the best movie I'd ever seen. Missy seemed to like it, giggling and gasping in all the right places, so I endured it, for her, supressing another yawn. I glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten, and Lisa still wasn't back yet. I was beginning to worry, ever so slightly, but hadn't thought much of it.

Since the day had been rather eventful, we had taken the shower, helped clean one another, redressed, and ordered pizza and drinks, gorged on the junk food, and then lounged the rest of the day. I was putting off a considerable amount of work I still needed to do on my suit and the like, but really, I had gotten a lot done in the past few days, so I didn't overly mind.

The door opened, and I glanced up to see Lisa walk in. She looked, for lack of any better term, absolutely exhausted. She was dirty, her hair in disarray, her shirt torn, dirt smudged on her face. “What... Lisa!” I cried out, jumping up.

“I'm okay,” she said immediately, holding a hand up. “I'm fine, really. Just tired, that's all. It's been a busy day.”

“You're not okay!” I cried, looking her up and down. “What happened?”

Missy had gotten to her feet behind me, and looked at Lisa worriedly. “Villains?”

Lisa shook her head. “No, no. Nothing nearly so fancy as that.” She took a deep breath, and I went to her side. She put her arms around me at once, and kissed my forehead. “I'm okay, really,” she whispered. “I just needed to finish up a couple of things, from... before. Let people know that certain arrangements had come to an end. A couple of them didn't like it, and they chased me. I ran. I fell down a hill, that's where the dirt is from. But I'm fine, really.” She kissed my forehead again, and I hugged her tightly, until she winced. “Careful. I bounced a couple of times. Ribs are a little sore. Just a little bruising.”

I was about to demand more, more information, what arrangements she had been speaking of, everything... when the TV suddenly changed. It was no longer the movie, but a scrolling emergency alert, making high pitched sounds. _Get to the nearest shelter. Seek shelter if unable to reach a designated center. Get to the nearest shelter..._

I felt my blood turn to ice, as me and Missy locked eyes. Hers were open as wide as saucers. Her phone beeped, then Lisa's, then mine, then all three were going nuts all at once. I pulled mine out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. A series of emergency alerts and text messages. They were flowing in, and interrupted by a sudden call. “Victoria,” I said breathlessly as I answered it.

“ _I'll assume you're already aware?”_ she asked quickly. She sounded rushed.

I nodded before realizing she couldn't see me. “Yes. Yes, I, I mean, we... me, Lisa, Missy...”

“ _Put Lisa on, please.”_

I handed Lisa the phone. She took it quickly. “Hey. Yeah, just got home too. Shit timing. Yeah. Okay, we'll all be there. I'll see to it the rest are mobilizing.” She hung up, and handed me the phone back. “Get your costumes on. Now.”

Missy took off, and I darted into the bedroom, already pulling my clothing off. I got dressed in record time, and helped Tattle into hers, then we both hopped in my suit. I had most of the seat in the back done for her now, and her tablets had docking ports. She slapped them into place, and we were outside, floating down to the ground, waiting on the others in a matter of seconds.

Bitch and Morkulv were already outside, waiting. The dogs around Bitch were growing in their disconcerting, creepy way, flexing and filling out in random spurts. I looked away. Skitter, Grue, and Regent were the next out, followed shortly by Vista and Selkie. I tapped my earpiece, activating the network. Almost right away, I heard Glory Girl. “Undersiders, you ready?”

“Gathering now. On our way.” Grue answered for us.

“Affirmative. Good luck. To us all.” Panacea sounded... worried.

About that time, the sky ahead cracked open, and the ran began. It washed over us suddenly, completely, moving across the group like a wall moving in from the sea. It took a few moments for me to realize that the rain was acting differently around Selkie, moving around it, warping and not quite hitting her. A residual effect of her power, perhaps? She seemed to be as startled by it as Skitter was standing next to her, both of them looking at the rain drops curving unnaturally through the air, flowing around her body, about an inch or two away from actually hitting her, forming what looked eerily like a floating shell around her as more and more rain came down, saturating everyone.

“Selkie, put your hand on Skitter for me,” Tattle said. She did so, and immediately the same started happening to Skitter, the rain running around her, rather than over her. Skitter glanced around in wonder, and raised her hand. The effect was instant, moving with her. It was almost as she had been surrounded by a forcefield.

“That's got to make showering a pain,” Regent snarked.

“Shut it,” Tattle snapped. “It's interesting... bet that will come in useful. Okay, let's get going. Bitch, your dogs good to carry most?”

“Yeah,” she replied simply, and then they were mounting up. Bitch and Regent on one, Grue and Skitter on another, and Vista and Selkie on the last. Tattle tapped my shoulder, and I closed the hatch, and we shot into the night sky. KC immediately set wide scanners, and began overlaying images in corners of my vision from the other teammates as we escorted them from above slowly, Morkulv keeping up with us easily. We coasted along, moving in silence to the PRT HQ building. Reconstruction on the front was already well underway from the Traveler's attack on it, but now the entire grounds were swarming with mass amounts of personnel.

I was reminded instantly of the scene in San Francisco, and had a heavy sinking feeling in my heart suddenly. “Tattle.... this is like it was... there. But this... it's here, isn't it. For real.”

She didn't respond, just reached around, and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. That somehow made it worse.

Everything I had done so far, I had done with the thought that I was keeping my home safe. That this place was safe. That this was home, and somehow impregnable. That nothing could hurt us here.

But this....

This was a _fucking Endbringer._

There was no lying to myself here. People would die. Capes would die. I could die, or Lisa, or Skitter, or Vista, or Grue, or Morkulv.... or any of my new friends. My family. People throughout the city. If we lost, there was no estimating the amount of damage that could be done, that _would_ be done. As the cold hard reality of the situation really began to sink in for me, I watched as teleporters brought in another group of capes, who moved to the side immediately, clearing the area taped off for just such a reason. I glanced over the assembled forces, and saw several hanging off to the sides in small packs.

Villains, I finally figured out, looking over their costumes. They were here, because of the scale of the event. Everyone came for an Endbringer. No one benefited from one of their attacks. There was even a pretty secure agreement about the situation, though I wasn't overly clear on the specifics of it. We landed next to the entryway, drawing several eyes, and quite a bit of attention as Bitch and her dogs trotted right up to the entryway as well, carrying the rest of the Undersiders. Glory Girl, Panacea, Laserdream, and Shielder were all standing there, waiting for us. I popped the hatch as soon as we were down, and me and Tattle both hopped out into the pouring rain. Selkie stepped up next to me, between me and Skitter, and her hand found mine, giving it a nervous squeeze, which I returned. I also noticed the rain stopped hitting me at once. Experimentally, I took Tattle's hand in my other, and the rain stopped hitting her as well. She glanced over, and saw Selkie holding my other hand, and gave me a little half smile, before turning her attention to Glory Girl.

“Armbands,” she was saying, passing around a box. “They'll communicate with one another and update us on everyone's status and progression. Simply activate them, and speak your cape name to program it, letting it know who holds it.”

I took mine, letting Tattle's hand go briefly. Selkie's hand slipped up my arm to my elbow as I slipped the armband on, then back into my fingers as I hit the button. “Twilight.” It flashed a message at me that I ignored. I saw Dragon's design elements all over it. I frowned at that. Hadn't she gotten in a little bit of trouble for her attack on us after we had joined New Wave? Perhaps they just hadn't found any other options in the meantime. I idly wondered if she/it would be here as well, or if she was even allowed out yet.

Alexandria and Miss Militia walked past suddenly, heads together, moving quickly and with purpose, talking in hushed tones until Alexandria saw my suit and stopped, pausing Miss Militia in mid-word with a hand on her shoulder.

“You,” she said to me directly, singling me out of the group immediately. “You're Twilight?”

I nodded. “Yes.” There was no point in even trying to hide it.

She frowned slightly, then smiled, and came closer. “I heard what you did in San Francisco. Think you have any more miracles up your sleeve for an Endbringer?”

“I.... I'm not sure,” I said softly. “I'll do anything and everything I can, I promise that much.”

Alexandria nodded. “That's the best we can ask for.” She turned back to Miss Militia, and off they went.

Glory Girl looked at us. “We're deploying ahead of the rest of the capes. New Wave is the front line this go around.” She looked across all of us Undersiders as she said that. I felt Selkie's hand tighten in mine. She was scared, but mine had tightened just as much. “It's already been cleared with the PRT. They know we'll be out there, they trust us to do what we need to. Do any of your people need a hand getting in position?”

“Where do you want us?” Grue asked.

“Right in the thick of it,” Glory Girl said at once. “Don't worry, we'll be right there with you, all of us. And others will be joining us, but we're going out first to catch the first attack and try to buy a little bit of time for the PRT to organize and mobilize in a way they haven't been able to before.”

And just like that, in half a second, the fear in my stomach burned away into fierce, hard determination. “And we'll succeed in doing that,” I said definitively. “We stopped the plague the 9 unleashed on us. We stopped the Travelers. We, all of us, can do this, too. Working together.”

I felt Selkie straighten a little at my side. I squeezed her hand again, this time conveying my confidence to her. “We can, we _will_ do this.”

Glory Girl looked at me a moment, then nodded. “You and Morkulv can move the fastest. Get to the front, scout out some good places for the rest of us. We'll be right behind you.”

I nodded, and turned back to my suit. “On it.”

Tattle was ahead of me, and climbed in first, getting in her seat. I sat in mine, and we strapped in as the hatch closed. It was the last time it would close until I was getting out of the suit at the end of the fight.

I blasted into the sky, touching the controls lightly to spin the craft and shoot out towards the bay. I saw Morkulv right next to me, keeping pace easily, a shroud of his black armor around his eyes, keeping the rain from pelting his face. He seemed to easily float through the air. I was almost envious; to be able to fly without the aid of a powered suit? It seemed too easy. To unreal.

But it was also a gift, to us.

We stopped on the edge of the city, hovering high above the Docks, looking out over the bay. Morkulv hovered just behind the suit, unable to see through the darkness and rain without the assistance of my scanners. I glanced at them... then did a quick double check.

“Oh... shit...” I breathed.

Tattle glanced up. “What?”

“What's wrong?” Glory Girl demanded immediately.

“Wave!” I cried. “Coming in, fast! Fifty feet high. There's... something on the other side. Scanners can't identify. I assume it's Leviathan himself. Wave is half a mile out, closing fast. Alert everyone!”

“On it.” Glory Girl barked orders at someone else, and the relay filled with several voices, New Wave members spreading the word as quickly as they could, yelling the warning to everyone else. The armbands beeped a few seconds later, sending the large scale warning out.

I glanced down at my scanners. “Tattle... there's something weird here,” I said. I turned my seat, so she could see what I was looking at. He's not... human. He's not even anything... alive. The scanners are reading him as dead material.”

“Are you sure it's Leviathan?” she asked.

I paused. “What do you think?” I asked quietly after a few moments.

She was silent for a moment. “I need a better look,” she finally said. “I'm not getting anything yet.”

I nodded. “Then closer we shall get. Morkulv... we're heading closer. Over the wave. Wait here, direct the others.”

“I'll do my best,” he replied.

I shot forward, spinning through the rain, racing towards the rain, arching over the wave, and pointing the nose down at Leviathan himself as he rose out of the water, spinning as he came to the surface, water flowing over him as he stepped out onto the water as if it were a solid surface.

“KC, cannons, max power!”

[Affirmative.]

I heard the cannons whine as they powered up, and locked their targeting mechanism to my visor with a tap of the controls. Staring hard at Leviathan, I opened fire.

 


	18. Chapter 18

The blasts slammed into Leviathan's chest, rocking his entire form backwards. I didn't stop with two single shots. I chained the cannons together, firing in alternating patterns that rained nonstop destructive force down into him. He spun, casting a wall of water up in my general direction. I rolled and rocketed upwards, narrowly cresting over the blast, twisting in midair, facing downwards at him. I could see his massive form in the gloom, the darkness of his vast form, the way his face was turned upwards towards me as I fired again, the bolts of energy blindingly bright in the dim light, rain hissing and turning to steam around them as they lanced downwards with explosive force, slamming into his shoulders and chest again, driving him down, into the water. He allowed the force to drive him under the surface, twisting as he went down.

I slammed the thrust, knowing I hadn't done any real damage, that I hadn't actually won even the beginning of this encounter. As I rocketed off, geysers and fountains of ocean water began to spray up, hundreds of feet in the air, with explosive force. I spun around one, and it twisted, leaning towards me, and I rolled in the opposite direction, angling upwards.

The rain came down harder, pelting the canopy as I rocketed skywards. Tattle, sitting behind me, had a white-knuckled grip on the back of my seat, and I knew she was as terrified as I refused to feel. I twisted and dived, moving at a ridiculous rate of speed that I had went at only one time before, but then I had been straight flying, up and down the coast. Now I was banking and twisting around numerous water columns, all of which were twisting and spinning, like a maze of tornadoes of watery death twisting all around the suit.

“We need to get to land!” Tattle screamed.

One of the geysers clipped the edge of the suit, and instead of the wing merely slicing through the water, as it should have, the wing ricocheted off the surface. Leviathan was manipulating the water, spinning it so fast that it was like a solid surface. I spun uncontrollably.

[Adjusting.] KC's cool voice in my ears eased my fears as the VI quickly calculated the forces and adjusted the thrust to bring us out of the spin, granting me control back in a space of two or three seconds. I tipped the nose up and shot skyward, rolling and dodging another series of massive geysers that shot at the sky behind us. At the same time, I began angling back towards the coast.

“Leviathan's moving for land,” someone spoke in my ear, and I glanced at the scanners, which had a lock on his signature. It was indeed moving for land rapidly, and the force and fury of his attack on me was dissipating the farther away he got. I rolled, dodging between two pillars of water, and blasted directly after him.

The wave he had sent in ahead of time had torn the entire coastline up. The docks were underwater, most of the buildings flooded or completely ripped away. Debris was everywhere. The Boardwalk had sustained major damage as well. I saw an entire section of road that had been ripped straight out of the ground and hurled through a line of shop fronts, reducing the entire row to a twisted tangle of snapped wooden and steel support beams, with white water frothing around the points sticking up out of it.

I saw a series of flashes and lights, and knew New Wave had engaged, hurling their attack at Leviathan as he walked out of the ocean, sliding up one of the streets. He shrugged off their attacks, wading up the flooded street, then darted forward, suddenly stopping, but the water around him did not—it flew forward, as an wall of destructive force. I saw Shielder throw up a massive barrier, protecting the core of their assault force, and Laserdream threw a solid beam out, striking Leviathan in the shoulder, spinning him into the side of a building. The behemoth put an arm out, smashing through the wall, then ripped it free, slinging a barrage of brick, mortar, and steel at the attackers.

I dived down from behind, unleashing the cannons again, ripping into his back, pitching him forward. He fell, slamming to the street, sending up a geyser of water at the suit again. I twisted around it, the cannons firing without pause, raining destructive bolts down against his shoulders and the back of his head, punishing him, distracting him, giving New Wave a second to recover and re-coordinate.

Leviathan rolled and twisted, and suddenly the entire street full of water flew _up_ , slamming into the bottom of the suit, carrying it up higher. I struggled with the controls briefly as water swarmed around the canopy. I was barely aware of Tattle screaming behind me as the suit rocked as we slammed into the side of a large building.

* * * * * * *

I glanced down at Skitter's hand in my own.  _So strange,_ I thought.  _A month ago, I would never have imagined any of this as real. Anticipated where I am now. So strange, everything that can change in a single breath._ The dog carrying us stopped, and she pulled my arm from around her, and we jumped down. Almost without thinking, I reached out with my power, gathering the water around the dog's feet, bringing it up, to cushion our landing, and ease us down. Skitter once again shot me a look I couldn't decipher behind her black and yellow bug-like mask, then we were moving, hurrying along the flooded street.

A doll brushed by my legs, and I glanced at it for a long moment. It was dirty, sodden, obviously having been washed down this far from somewhere closer to the docks. I wondered idly if there was a girl that had been clutching it, or if it had been left behind in the rush to the shelters. I knew not everyone had made it. There hadn't been enough time, enough warning, to ensure a total evacuation. I could only hope that it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.

“Selkie, you have point,” Grue told me, pushing my shoulder. I staggered forwards.

“What? Me?”

Grue nodded. “You can do... something, with water. Maybe you'll be able to do something to slow him down.”

I swallowed hard, and stepped forwards. I could almost feel, and hear, Skitter's swallowed objection. But Grue was right. Out of everyone here, I was the best prepared to do something with this. I wasn't sure what. I wasn't even sure what all I could do. But hopefully.. I could do something.

I reached out, all around me. I could feel every drop of water within what seemed to be a couple miles radius, but my control was limited to a much smaller area. About what I could see around me, I could manipulate. I held my hands out over the water in the street before us. I knew the physical movements weren't necessary. I had figured that out in one of my very first practicing sessions, but they made me feel better about what I was doing, seemed to give me a physical representation of what I wanted. The water in the street immediately calmed, and began to gather, swirling together, pressing upwards into a large dome before us. I continued pulling in what I could as more water rushed in to fill the void I was creating. More and more, until it seemed the entire street before us had risen twenty feet, in a vague, spherical shape. Made of pure water. I stepped forward, twisting my arms around, pushing my palms forward, held up perpendicular to the ground, and the orb of water began to roll forward. Ahead, we saw several flashes of light. I could hear the high whine and spattering of Twilight's suit engines and cannons, then I felt the water ahead jump up, and the sound of her suit went away. Hoping she was okay, I remained focused on what I was doing, cutting out the sudden scramble of noise and yelling coming through the ear piece. I raised the sphere upwards, floated it into the sky, and it began to churn, to twist, as I watched it.

Slowly at first, it began to gather speed and power, churning and spinning faster and faster. As it sped up, it began to flatten, widening out, the edges at first washing across the buildings to either side, then suddenly cutting into them, carving out chunks of the sidewalls, then, with a sound like a saw, ripping clear through them. It still increased speed, whirling until it was about a foot thick, pure white with the speed.

Then Leviathan showed up, sliding around a corner ahead, as if he was literally riding the water in the street. And I hurled the spinning blade at him. It sliced easily through the buildings, not losing a single bit of speed whatsoever. Leviathan turned, and seemed surprised, or even shocked, to see water being used as a weapon against him, and didn't move, taking the spinning orb directly in his upper chest.

It slammed into him with a ferocity I had not expected. It spun him around, slicing into his chest and grabbing hold, whipping him all the way around it's circumference, slamming him through both buildings to either side. They fell apart, collapsing in as the attack slowly lost its momentum and deteriorated, dropping Leviathan under the pile of debris.

Skitter began to move up, but I motioned her back with one hand. “Wait!” I cried out, a single moment before the water still in the street surged around our feet, and his tail sliced through the debris, throwing a chunk of building right at us. I looked up at it, sure I was about to die...

Morkulv appeared as if from no where, catching it, hurling it to the side. Leviathan was on his feet, his chest a ragged, gaping, open wound. He turned towards us, dashed forwards a few steps, and stopped. The water around him flowed forward, an image of himself rushing forwards.

I threw my hands up, and mentally caught it, hurling it back at him. It lacked the force, and merely washed over him, but once again, he seemed surprised by the move, and simply stood there for a few seconds.

Morkulv landed next to me. “Get to safety,” he growled. “I'll buy you all time. Go. NOW!” he barked.

We all turned and ran.

* * * * * * *

Morkulv stood in the middle of the street, facing Leviathan, one-on-one. He knew New Wave had been fairly effectively scattered, and were falling back, regrouping and trying to make sure everyone was okay. The rest of the Undersiders should be on their way back, falling back through the PRT line that was coming up, ready to fight as soon as Leviathan hit their ranks.

Morkulv wasn't sure what had happened to Twilight and Tattle, however, and that....

That fucking pissed him right off. He hadn't heard anything about them, but also hadn't seen them since they'd been hit, and he knew it was entirely unlike Twilight to miss anything that she could be in the middle of. After all, she had rushed out to the front, to take the fight to Leviathan, to try to buy everyone else some time....

Now it was his turn.

He rose into the air, until he was roughly even with Leviathan, and then he kicked himself forward.

Leviathan spun, raising his tail...

Morkulv grabbed it as he altered his flight, shooting up and slightly to the side. Leviathan stumbled, then was yanked upwards as Morkulv heaved, as hard as he could, lifting the behemoth into the sky, limbs flailing, carrying him by his tail upwards, then spun, launching Leviathan into a building. The behemoth slammed into—and through—the structure, bringing it down on top of him again. Morkulv didn't pause, flying right into the collapse, grabbing a ripped steel beam and swinging it into Leviathan's midsection, slamming him right out the other side of the collapsing structure, rolling into the other street. He dropped the girder, raised a hand, and hurled himself at the behemoth again, slamming into his midsection, folding Leviathan over as he brought him to the earth again, slamming him down with enough force to shake the ground and send up a fountain of water thirty feet high.

He was only dimly aware of Leviathan wrapping a hand around him, hurling him away with a gesture that would have killed most capes. Morkulv went through the window of one building, through the opposite wall, and came to a stop against the next brick wall, breathing hard...

And unharmed. He rose to his feet, glancing down at himself. He had fully expected to be broken, ripped, torn, but there wasn't even a stratch on him. In fact, he felt.... good. Better than ever. He shot up, flying over the building, and spotted Leviathan moving back down the street, after the Undersiders. He slammed into his back, once again hurling the Endbringer down, raising one hand and summoning a black blade to his hand, which he swung down with every bit of strength he could possibly muster. It sank deep into the side of Leviathan's neck, then became lodged. He let go of it as Leviathan twisted under him, and a blast of water hurled Morkulv clear, tumbling head over heels until he slammed into a wall again, the water pressure ceaseless, pressing him into the brick, filling his nose and mouth, blinding him....

He experienced one moment of pure panic until his black armor wrapped around him, cutting the water out of his face. He spit out a mouthful of seawater, and coughed, clearing his lungs, shaking his head. The water was ceaseless, but his continued layering his armor together even as it tore it down, pressing forwards, angling the outsides, creating a point that pierced the flow, directing it to either side, and continued pushing it out further and further until the water pressure pushing him back was near nothing, then launched himself forward, through the geyser. He slammed into Leviathan's side with the point, which punched in deep, then let the armor go as he slammed his feet into the behemoth's chest, kicking him over backwards. Once more, Leviathan went down, and Morkulv landed a short ways away, breathing hard, but still unhurt.

“You fucked up this time, Endbringer,” Morkulv growled, and hurled himself forward once more.

* * * * * * *

I blinked, and moaned. “Tattle?” I whispered.

“I'm here.” Her hands found my face, cupping it gently. “I'm here. You're okay?”

I moaned again, and sat up, bringing my hand to cover hers. “I think so. What... where are we?”

“Still in the suit. It held together. We're underwater. It threw us towards the docks. Not sure how much shit is piled on top of us.” She stroked my face, and it was then I realized I wasn't wearing my mask. I reached out, feeling for it, and found the control panel. I ran my fingers over it, and found the controls I wanted. Soft light filled the interior.

“Oh thank God, I couldn't find that switch,” Tattle moaned. She had pulled her own mask off, and a trickle of blood ran over her cheek from her hairline. I touched her cheek, then pulled her down for a little kiss and smiled.

“Time to get out of here?”

She smiled. “I like the sound of that. I think our earpieces are shorted out. I can't raise anyone.”

“Mask?” I asked. She handed me it, and I pulled it on. “KC, copy?”

[Affirmative.]

“Everything in working order?”

[Minor damage to external armor platings. All systems are fully functional.]

“Communications?”

[I am not reading your transmission device. It appears to be offline.]

I took it out, rolled it over my fingers. It appeared fine, but I didn't have time to worry about it right then. I dropped it in a pouch, and Tattle put hers in with mine.

“Alright. Power up, flush the water out of all systems.”

[Affirmative.]

The suit gave a powerful thrum around me, and I grinned as I felt it rock, pulling up and away from what we had been resting on.

“Scan surroundings.”

[Done.]

A virtual overlay of the surrounding area overlapped my vision through the visor, and I looked about until I saw our way out.

Then I blasted out, and shot high into the sky, rolling my way free of the water and debris. I saw Leviathan almost immediately as he spun, and someone flew away from him, rolling in midair. I spun the cannons around.

“Incendiary rounds this time, KC. Light him up.”

[Affirmative.]

I lined the cannons up, locked on, and squeezed the trigger.

Immediately the suit bucked as the cannons belched flame and death, the rounds slamming into Leviathan with enough force to hurl him across the street and into another building, burning deep holes into his torso and middle. I didn't let up until incendiary ammunition was expended, driving him deeper into the side of the building. I saw Morkulv recover from where he had been thrown, and drift over.

And then more were showing up, lining up. Dragon was there, another of her suits coming rocketing down out of the sky, letting missiles fly. They slammed into Leviathan, staggering him back. Miss Militia was standing on a building top not far off, firing a missile launcher that looked as big as she was, over and over, the rounds peppering Leviathan, driving him back. I saw Alexandria and Morkulv slam into his chest together, hurling him a good fifty feet, driving him back, into a tightening noose of capes. Laserdream hurled another series of shots, assisted by Legend himself, his lasers bending through the air, each and every one striking home with scary, pin-point accuracy.

Eidolon was there, standing on the ground, and around him the water rolled away. He had adopted a form of water control power, and was pushing it back, out of the city, protecting another group of capes as they moved in. I saw Kid Win, shooting at him with his pistols, and there was Shadow Stalker, pelting his legs with her bows, and others, launching ranged attacks. Bolts of energy and condensed firepower rained down on Leviathan from every angle.

It was by far, the best, most coordinated assault that anyone, anywhere, had ever conducted on an Endbringer. With the time bought by New Wave and ourselves, the PRT had literally divided themselves into equal teams, and surrounded Leviathan, hammering him with everything they had. Legend and Alexandria kept the brunt of the attack, pushing him around in a circle that formed in flattened buildings, while Eidolon continued to move the water away, directing it all outwards, away from Leviathan himself, taking away his means of quick escape and main attacks.

I rained energy bolts down myself from my cannons, and saw Dragon's other suit circling, hammering Leviathan with every chance it got. Shielder was forming his barriers into discs and hurling them forward, placing them in strategic points to cut off Leviathan and contain further damage. I saw Skitter, Grue, Selkie, and Bitch standing to the side. Selkie was focused on helping Eidolon, pulling the water in her area away from Leviathan as well, while keeping an eye on the Endbringer, making sure he didn't get too close.

Tattle touched my shoulder. “Can you believe this?” she whispered, watching. “We... we haven't lost anyone. Not a single person.”

I was opening my mouth to say “Knock on wood,” but... I didn't speak fast enough.

* * * * * * *

I turned to Skitter and Grue, pushing them both behind me. “Back! BACK!” I screamed as loudly as I could. I heard, dimly, Eidolon bellowing on the other side of the “arena” we had created, of sorts. His power must be similar, in at least some respects, to my own, if he had felt what I had.

I could feel the wave crashing through the coast, over the shattered docks, burying the already damaged section of the city even further under seawater, and still it came on. It had to have been a hundred feet tall... more. Two hundred. It washed around what it could not move, which really wasn't very much. I could feel structures giving out, collapsing as the wave pushed endlessly against them, washing away a thousand homes, or more. Destroying countless offices, stores, and more. Obliterating my town, my home.

And then it hit us, where we were. I threw up my hands, catching as much of the wave as I possibly could, but even trying to stop it was like pushing against a barreling freight train with a shopping cart. It came on, slamming into one building that had held a group of capes. I dimly heard my wristband going off, announcing the injured and dying. Eidolon was doing as I was, trying to catch the wave, to control it, to save everyone we could.

I glanced over my shoulder, and Skitter was right there, her hand on my shoulder, watching the tip of the wave lean over our heads, a hundred feet high still, and I pushed harder, harder, as hard as I possibly could, throwing everything I had and then some at it, struggling...

It slowed, and then began to crash downwards. I couldn't stop everything, and when the first rush of water, about four feet deep, slammed into us, it swept me, and Skitter, and the others, right off our feet. I grabbed her hand, heard her scream in fear as the current yanked at us, but we clung together with desperate fear. I twisted around in the water, trying to get my head above the surface for longer than half a second to take a much needed breath, and felt Skitter doing the same, kicking at the ground as it skidded past beneath us. We were being swept pretty far away, and all around us, a tangle of other capes were in the same situation.

One of the buildings that several capes were on top of collapsed as the wave ripped away half of its base support, and the teleporters didn't get everyone out. I heard the armband again, and then suddenly we came up against a wall. The current pinned us in place, washing over our faces and mouths, but suddenly still, I was able to get a sense of where I was, and exert my power once more, calming the water around us. Skitter sagged in my arms as we collapsed against one another, breathing hard, panting and crying.

“Grue?” Skitter asked.

I could only shrug. I hadn't seen where he had went. “I... I didn't see, Skitter... I'm sorry.”

She squeezed my hands tightly. “Bitch? Regent?”

“Regent wasn't with us yet. I'm not sure where he was.”

“We need to find them. We need to group up.” Skitter looked around widely. “Leviathan... he's going inland, towards the center of the city...”

“Skitter,” I interrupted her gently.

She looked right at me.

“He's coming straight at us.”

* * * * * * *

All throughout my entire life, I've been called a lot of things. Usually, they seemed to have a negative context. Bitch. Stuck up. Conceded. Selfish. Whore. Slut. Useless. Stupid. Inferior. Weak.

Perhaps, looking back on that, that was why I always pushed myself to do better. To be better. To be the best. To be strong, to never let myself be weak, in anything I did. When I went to school, I was stronger than the other kids I was with. I was above them. They were weak, the way they played their little games, and thought they were getting somewhere. None of them knew, not a single one had a single clue what the real world was like.

None of them had ever had to hide because their dad was drunk, and horny. None of them knew what it was like, to be a little girl, pressing yourself deeper into the shadows, hoping he wouldn't see you, cause if he did... then he would drag you out, hold you down, rape you...

I did. That had been my childhood. My real dad had left my mom shortly after I was born. Or she had left him. Whatever. I didn't care for specifics, never had. I just knew they weren't together, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. I knew that when I went to his house, every time, I got new bruises. Sometimes they were simple ones, easy. Bruises on my face, or back, or bottom, because I had mouthed off, or done something he had deemed wrong, inferior. Other times, they weren't so simple. Bruises of the spirit, of the soul. When he would throw me down on the couch, pull my pants off, slap my bottom until it bled, then rape me, wherever he wanted. I hadn't been a virgin since I was six years old. How many girls have to say that? That they had been raped at six, by their very own father, the man that was supposed to love and protect them?

I remember all too vividly the time I broke. When I got my powers. Others had different words for it, nicer words. They called them trigger events, mainly. I called it broke. It was the one time in my life that things got so bad, that I couldn't handle it. For the first time in my life, I lost. I broke. I was nine, at the time. I was at my dad's house. My mom had given me to him for the weekend. Just me. Alone. And he had went out, as was his usual custom, and come home several hours later drunk, and yelling for me the moment he set foot in the house.

“ _Sophia! C'mere, girl! Where r'ya? C'mere!” he bellowed through the empty kitchen. I was wedged in the bathroom counter, under the sink, trying to hide behind a carefully built wall of toilet paper rolls and cleaners. I had been working on ever since he left, hoping it would be enough to conceal me, that I would be strong enough to avoid making any noises when he opened the door, which I knew he inevitably would._

_He didn't have the normal, casual decency to pass out drunk after a few brief moments searching, oh no. He seemed to fixate on it, obsess on the search. He would look until he found me. No matter how long it would take. Only once before in my entire life had I managed to hide long enough for him to sober enough to not want to rape me when he found me. He had still beat me for hiding, but at least I had avoided the other part of it._

_I heard doors opening and slamming closed as he stalked through the house. I wished again, for the hundredth time, that simply getting out of the house was an option. But no, he had learned the first time I had tried to call for help, and now, when he left, he even took the house phone out into his car with him. I had no way to contact anyone, the doors were all locked, with padlocks that I didn't have the keys for, windows chained shut... the house was more than a prison, it was a torture cell._

“ _Goddammit girl get yer ass out here NOW!” he roared, and I flinched, cowering lower, tucking my knees under my chin and shaking like a leaf behind my little wall of toilet paper, squeezing my eyes shut and saying a desperate prayer as I heard his boots thump down the hall, and the bathroom door kick open, bouncing off the far wall._

_I bit my lip so hard I was drawing blood as he slammed the shower door open, then the linen closet... I prayed as hard as I ever had in my life he would simply overlook the cabinet..._

_No luck. He pulled it open, and I cowered as low as I could as light invaded my private, dark sanctuary. He glanced in, glanced away... could it be? Did he miss me? I didn't dare breath, holding perfectly still, then he glanced back down, and his eyes narrowed._

_Fuck._

_He reached in, his large hands scattering my carefully constructed fortress. “There you are, you little bitch. How fucking dare you hide from me?” he roared, and dragged me out by my forearm. I wailed in pure, unfiltered terror, feeling my bladder release, the hot urine running down my leg as he dragged me down the hallway unceremoniously, my legs kicking uselessly in the air as he lifted me by the arm and hurled me at the bed. I hit and bounced, nearly bouncing free, but his hands came down on the backs of my legs, ending my one brief moment._

“ _What the fuck? Did you piss yourself?” he cried out, his hand releasing my one leg, wet with my urine. I couldn't answer, couldn't form the words. I simply shook and trembled, unable to say a single thing..._

“ _Fucking disgusting, you little whore,” he growled. His rough hands grabbed my pants, and ripped them down my small frame, tearing them off, literally. I screamed as the cloth ripped painfully into my legs before giving way, leaving more bruises and marks. He bunched them up, used them like a rag to wipe my damp leg off, then tossed them aside, and crawled onto the bed behind me. I glanced up at the full-length mirror he had on one wall of his bedroom, and saw him undo his jeans behind me. He looked down at me, and pushed my face down into the bed. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't cry, couldn't do anything as I felt him rub himself up and down my bottom, then the searing, painful penetration as he pushed his way into my too-small body. I screamed into the mattress, and then couldn't get another breath. I was dying. Literally. He was pushing down on the back of my head so hard I was suffocating, unable to breathe while he pumped his hips furiously against me, howling his triumph to his ceiling..._

_The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, beneath the bed, sucking in desperate lungfuls of air. He howled in rage, and I lay there, utterly confused. He jumped off the bed, and his hand snaked under the edge, grabbing my arm, dragging me out... I panicked, kicking back, and_ shifted _away from him, my arm sliding through his hand, out of his grasp as my entire form changed substance, and I realized... I could get away._

_I ran. I ran hard, sprinting right through the door, leaving that house, that life, behind me forever._

I shook my head to clear it of the memory. I hated dwelling on it. It was painful, uncomfortable, a reminder that I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be, a reminder that I wasn't who I wanted to be, or pretended to be. It hadn't been long after that I had adopted the hockey-masked persona and stalked the streets, ridding them of random drunks and abusive fuckfaces.

It was only terribly ironic that it was my own father, yet again, that had got me caught. I pinned his ass to the wall with my crossbow, and the Wards caught up with me. I ended up on their team, on probation, rather than in jail, but even Emma didn't see, didn't understand the good I had been doing in the world. The people I had been taking out where no good to society, but preyed on those even weaker than themselves, those that couldn't stand up and fight for themselves. In a way, I was every bit the hero that I hated pretending to be. I was more of a hero than the others on my very own team. I had done more for the betterment of Brockton Bay than any of them.

Yet they all looked down on me. Spit on me.

Emma was the only one who blindly looked up to me. I remembered saving her ass, before she herself had been raped, and worse. She was a fool to think it wouldn't have been that bad, but she seemed to have only been scared of the physical violence they had intended. When they spoke about it, she never mentioned the threat of potential rape.

She had never known that fear, to feel helpless as someone else took their pleasure from your body without your consent. She had never known that paralyzing desperation that filled you when completely at someone else's mercy, with a part of their body lodged within your own, even...

She was as stupid as she was flighty. I'm not sure why I had ever delighted in turning her against the nerd girl, the stupid little girl, Taylor, that had been her friend. I'm not sure why... at all. But I had. It had been something mildly amusing for a few years, but recently Emma had been getting weak, changing on me. I didn't care. There would be others that I could find, others that would do what I wanted. Others that I could manipulate, put under me, to raise myself up...

It's pretty fucked up that I can recognize this about myself.

But you must understand...

When someone is starting death in the face, you realize these things. You see things in a stark, cold reality, unlike anything you've ever seen before.

And when death takes you, it's almost a release from that horrendous guilt. That horrible dread that's building within me now.

Maybe I've been a terrible, shitty person all my life. Maybe I really haven't saved anyone, and just put others down to somehow elevate and justify myself. But... when I give everything I have to save someone, they damn well best deserve it.

And somehow, I'm really glad that it's Taylor I got to save.

* * * * * * *

“Run!” someone screamed. I'm not sure who they were, a cape in garish red and yellow, jumping through the water, hurrying as much as they could, as they rounded the corner ahead of us. I looked up at him, and glanced to the sides, seeing as many as six or seven others floundering, starting to get their bearings back from the rush of water, where Leviathan had washed us.

As I looked back up at the cape coming, he opened his mouth to scream at us again, but instead of a scream, a gargled grunt came out instead as he looked down at his suddenly missing lower half as Leviathan's tail whipped through him, tearing him clean in two. His torso tumbled into the water, which went red around him. My eyes widened with horror. I had never seen anyone die quite like that before.

“C'mon,” Skitter squeezed my hand, and pulled me after her. I turned, following her, using my power to spread the water apart, opening up a path for us, and others to scramble into, sprinting along. A couple capes staggered into my little path ahead of us and ran, a couple others were behind us, and we ran. And ran. I staggered as we ran blindly, hearing the crashing and explosions continuing behind us. Leviathan was out of containment, fighting back, killing some as he did so, but still the others were hammering him as best they could, trying to press him back, to buy time for the rest of us to regather and get set up once more.

Unfortunately he seemed to be on to the plan, and pressed forward through the assault almost as if it didn't bother him whatsoever, despite the gaping wounds that covered most of his body by now. I saw Legend whip by overhead, spreading his arms and unleashing a salvo of lasers that arched around, coming down behind us, slamming into Leviathan. He remained completely, eerily quiet, staggering as he took the hits, returning to his feet and pushing forward almost immediately, quickly gaining on me and Skitter as we ran.

He launched another one of his water images, knocking a couple capes down, floundering in the nearly waist-deep water. I turned, and caught his image, turning it around, sending it back at him again. This time, as it hit him, he regained control, wrenching it away from me, and sent it out again, directly at me.

I held up my hands, barely forcing it to a stop. Dragon and Legend hammered him, missiles and lasers hitting home with eerie precision. I saw Twilight's suit swoop low, and her cannons fired point blank into his face, driving him back a few more steps, buying us a few moments to turn and get a head start running once more. Leviathan sent a ripple through the water around us, distorting my path, collapsing my control over it, and the water crashed around our legs. I tripped, falling face-first into the murky saltwater, and saw Skitter barely keep her feet, staggering back and forth as Leviathan swept in, his hand wrapping around her, lifting her off the ground.

“NO!” I screamed, raising my hand, throwing a hail of dagger-like water jets up into Leviathan, which he ignored as he turned his back, his tail simply brushing me, and several others farther away as I struggled to find my feet in the murky water. I watched as he lifted my friend... my only, true, real friend, high above his head...

* * * * * * *

Morkulv pulled up short when he saw Leviathan turn towards him and Alexandria. They had been working in tandem, hammering him together, and dealt a fair amount of damage to the Endbringer that just wasn't seeming to have the effect that it should be on him. Huge flaps of his torso were hanging in ribbons and tatters. His arm had several places burned clear away, his neck had a chunk taken out of the side, and there wasn't a spot on him that wasn't burned or cut in some manner.

But the real thing that made him stop was seeing Skitter struggling weakly in his grasp, high above the black water's surface, the rain cascading down around her, highlighting her in a strange halo, her weak cries sounding pained as he gripped her tightly.

He braced himself, ready to fly in, do anything and everything he could, when a hand landed on his arm. He turned and saw Shadow Stalker stepping out of the shadows, looking up at Skitter, her crossbow held in her hand. She looked at him for a long moment.

He didn't like what he saw in her dark eyes. “You—”

She cut him off quickly. “Just catch her. Got it? Catch her. Save her. She's a better person than I am. And... tell her... and Emma... I'm sorry.”

She shifted as he reached to stop her, and jumped forwards, gliding easily along the water's surface, then from the shadowy form that was her, leapt several bolts, each landing a few inches apart along Leviathan's wrist, striking accurately, precisely, making his hand open in reflex. Morkulv saw Skitter start to fall, and streaked forward, catching her in midair, carrying her a short distance away and setting her down. She struggled in his arms, turning, trying to push him back.

“No! Go back! BACK!” she screamed at him.

“Skitter, calm down,” he said softly, trying to soothe her.

“Emma's there! EMMA!” she screamed desperately, fighting against him, trying to get free, to go back. He turned, watching from a relatively safe distance as Leviathan spun, lashing out at Shadow Stalker as she leapt and jumped around him, more and more of her darts lancing out, each hitting home, right where she wanted it. She fired again and again, each one making the Endbringer jerk backwards. The bigger guns were holding back, unwilling to endanger Shadow Stalker in her little showdown, but Legend was there, firing his lasers, aiding her the best he could, hitting each spot she struck. She caught on, and began to double up the hits, driving her bolts in deeper, doing more damage with each shot, that Legend enhanced, driving them in deeper before his lasers superheated and melted the bolts within Leviathan's body.

Then he saw her rise out of the water, walking determinedly forwards, walking  _on_ the water as she walked slowly, but surely forwards, her hands held out. “EMMA!” Skitter screamed, but Selkie was too far away to hear.

“Skitter. Calm down,” Morkulv growled. “I'll get her. I promise. You trust me, right?”

She looked at him, her eyes wild. “Yes,” she finally said after a few moments.

“Stay. Here.”

He set her down, and she stepped back, hugging herself as she watched Emma walk closer still, the water rolling under her hands as she prepared another attack of her own as Shadow Stalker continued pelting the Endbringer with Legend's assistance. The distraction was finally working; the other capes thrown into chaos by the wave earlier were beginning to regroup, and coming back, in new squads, ready to face off against the Endbringer once more.

He flew forwards, and Emma raised her hands, throwing them up. The water speared upwards in two hard, spinning drill-like protrusions, slamming into Leviathan, boring into his arms, pinning them in place for a moment. Shadow Stalker landed nimbly before him, raised her crossbow, and fired a bolt right into his face. His tail whipped around, cutting through one of the drills, and the rest happened so quickly Morkulv couldn't close the distance fast enough.

Shadow Stalker became solid for just a moment, sinking into the water, readying herself for another go, gathering her remaining energy... when his hand, released, slammed down into her, smashing her to the hard ground beneath the water's surface.

Even as Morkulv streaked forward, fast as he possibly could, he heard the armband began to announce her loss. His rescue attempt turned into an attack in the flash of an eye, and he slammed into Leviathan's chest as hard as he possibly could, feeling the Endbringer crack as he hit, slamming him backwards, driving forward as fast and hard as he could, carrying him backwards, roaring the entire time. He was only dimly aware of Alexandria joining him, slamming into Leviathan next to him, pushing the Endbringer bodily back into the “arena” of sorts from before. They hurled the beast to the ground, with enough force that the ground splintered and cracked in a hundred directions, a cloud of water and debris raising fifty feet in the air. They backed up, together, raising into the sky as Legend and Eidolon unleashed everything they had left.

Eidolon had abandoned his water manipulation, and appeared to have dumped everything he had into a single power, which was very much like what Sundancer had been able to do. A massive orb of pure heat and light streaked over where Leviathan lay, the water around it flash boiling in an instant, turning the entire arena into a boiling cauldron as he pressed it down into Leviathan. Legend's lasers poured into the behemoth as he rose to his feet, a massive wave of sheer destructive firepower that dwarfed everything that had come before.

Twilight and Dragon's suits were both circling, firing a nonstop hail down into the raging inferno of Eidolon's sun, which was so blindingly bright that Morkulv had to look away, shielding his eyes. He saw Alexandria doing the same, and they flew to a safe distance. He checked in quickly on Selkie and Skitter, found them together, carrying Shadow Stalker's limp, broken body out of the water, onto a dry high spot, holding hands as they did so.

Leviathan stepped out of the orb, the damage visibly intensified in all areas across his body, and darted away. But this time, rather than heading into the city, he was heading away. He heard various people calling out that the Endbringer was running, to cut it off, to slow it down, to deal as much damage as earthly possible to it, and saw the salvo increase, as other ranged capes opened up on it. A huge creature, which looked more like an animated stuffed animal, waded into the fray, grabbing Leviathan with surprisingly dexterous hands and hurled him back into Eidolon's sun. Missiles, lasers, orbs, beams of light followed him, slamming into him over and over, even as it came out again, half of his tail missing now, one arm hanging limp, nearly cut clear through. Legend focused on the arm, hammering the damaged section, trying to sever it the rest of the way. The giant animal waded in again, but Leviathan raised his good arm and ripped into it, ready for it this time. It seemed to deflate behind him as he skidded across the water, rapidly moving through the city. Those that could fly and shoot gave chase all the way to the coast, keeping up the pressure, hammering Leviathan until he slipped into the water, and disappeared from sight. As silence slowly fell over the bay, Morkulv looked down at the shattered edge of the city.

It was over... they had defended Brockton Bay.

Leviathan was gone, and they were still here.

He hurried back to Skitter, and found her and Selkie still with Shadow Stalker's body. Tears ran freely down Selkie's cheeks as he landed quietly across from them. Skitter looked up at him. Her mask was expressionless, but nevertheless he could feel the pain in her gaze as she looked up at him for a long moment.

“She gave her life to free me, to slow it down,” she said slowly. Morkulv nodded, unsure of what to say to help at this particular moment. “Why? It doesn't make sense. She hated me. She made my life hell...”

He knelt on the other side of Shadow Stalker and laid a hand gently on her forehead. It was far too late for his healing powers; the girl was definitely gone, her eyes staring blankly up at the sky. “I know it may not help, but she told me to tell you both something,” Morkulv said as softly as he could manage.

They both looked up at him. “What?” Selkie asked.

He looked down at Sophia's still face for a moment, and saw a sad measure of peace on her face. Odd, that it was now that she looked most peaceful, after coming to a violent end... “She told me to tell you both that she was sorry,” he said, barely above a whisper, as he closed her eyes with a gentle touch. In the end, Sophia had been the very hero she was always afraid of being.

* * * * * * *

I eased the suit down. It was beginning to make a funny little pinging sound in one engine, and KC reported that structural damage was increasing the longer we kept airborne. But with the fight over, I could finally give the suit the rest it so desperately needed. We landed just beyond Skitter, Selkie, and Morkulv, and I popped the hatch, hopping out and giving Tattle a hand down and out as well. She looked around at all the flooding, and glanced up at the rain still pouring from the sky.

“It's bad out here,” she said softly.

“It was just worse,” I responded just as softly. We stood still for a moment, letting the others have their moment. They were gathered around a fallen figure, and I was afraid of approaching, and finding out who it was. I definitely didn't want to see Grue, or Regent, or even Bitch laying there cold. Or any of our New Wave friends. I glanced around, saw other capes beginning to gather. Glory Girl flew in, with a couple other New Wave members. Her costume had a long rip down one side, but other than that they all looked pretty good. Shielder was with her, and looked pretty much as pristine as ever. Others that staggered in were nursing injuries, or were wet and disheveled, coughing up water still, or leaning on one another for support. I saw Grue, and smiled at him. I saw him nod back in recognition, and then Regent followed him in, still with his arrogant little strut. Bitch was behind those two, her dogs all trailing along after her, down to normal size already. They were all dirty and wet, but alive and well.

A soft “ahem” came from behind me, and I turned and saw Vista. She gave me a little smile, and I gave her a big hug.

“I'm glad you're okay,” I breathed in her ear. She squeezed me tighter.

“Me too. And, I'm happy you made it in one piece too. I wasn't ever really in danger, Leviathan ran away from where I was, and we just got here when they got him back to the center. I was never really in the fight.”

“Be glad for that,” I whispered, and gave her cheek a little kiss. Her cheeks flushed at that, but I smiled a little.

Tattle took my hand, and together we walked over to the rest of the Undersiders. It was Shadow Stalker on the ground. I knelt next to Skitter, and put my hand on her arm. She glanced at me, then leaned against me. I put my arm around her waist, and Tattle moved to her other side, slipping between her and Selkie, putting an arm around both of them as we sat, reveling in the fact that we were all still here, and still alive... while mourning those that were not.

 


	19. Chapter 19

I closed my eyes briefly and leaned against the nearest object, which happened to be the counter. I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open, but even still, I knew my problems, my worries, were the least of everyone's concerns right now. I forced one eye open, and rolled it around until I saw Tattle. She happened to have her back to me currently, but even still, I could nearly feel the exhaustion rolling off of her as well as she guided Taylor through the door. Emma was next, still looking shell-shocked, eyes wide.

Missy moved up next to me, and took my arm. “You okay?” she said softly, barely above a whisper, so as to not draw the others' attention. I turned to her, forcing my other eye open, and gave her a little smile. 

“Of course,” I said, just as softly, back. “Just tired, that's all.”

She nodded. “I can definitely understand that. It feels like we left a week ago.”

Man, was she right. It had been quite a while—somewhere in the midst of everything and the fallout after the battle I had indeed fully lost track of time—but it was definitely over 40 hours. Somewhere closer to 60, if I had to guess. My body felt like it was ready for a full-on shutdown at pretty much any point.

If it had been a little more simple, then it would have been fine. But no, nothing was ever simple. Sure, we had defeated Leviathan. Sure, we had saved approximately 75% of the city's structures from massive damage. Extensive damage was only around 10%, but another 15% had sustained enough damage to require evacuations, capes pulling survivors out constantly. And naturally, New Wave, nor the Undersiders, were about to step aside and let someone else do it for them. 

Then had come the counts, the endless reports, the summaries, the debriefings. Alexandria and Eidolon walking through their ranks, stopping and asking each one of their members more and more questions, drilling them on who did what and why and how. Their interview with me had been particularly taxing; neither seemed to content to believe that I had flown out ahead of every one else completely on my own, and neither seemed happy with the reports my scanners had brought back, data that Tattle had backed up on every occasion, working through it with her power as well with them to try to lend more insight. Eventually, they had let us go.

Morkulv and Grue and the others were still with Skitter and Selkie when we left, though both of the girls had not said a single word even still. 

I finally forced myself to stand upright, and stepped to Lisa, placing a hand on her back. She turned to me, and gave me a small smile. “Hey, you,” she said softly, and slipped a warm arm around my shoulders, hugging me to her side. I leaned into her, looking at Emma and Taylor. They were both standing still in the middle of the room, unseeing, staring into nothing. I couldn't bear to keep seeing them like this. 

“Taylor... Emma...” their eyes turned to me, even if they didn't say a word, I knew they were listening. “I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now. Actually... no. That's wrong. Sorry, I'm tired. I can't imagine. Emma... you lost a friend. Good, bad, whatever might have happened, she was still a part of your life. Taylor, at the end... she was changing. You saw that. Emma saw it, everyone saw it. She fought for you, specifically. She saved your life. She paid for it with her own, but... but I don't think...” I bit my lip, unsure for a moment if I should go on. But then Missy was on my other side, sliding her arm around my waist, and squeezing gently. Lisa also gave me a slight squeeze, so I went on. “I don't think she would be happy to see either of you like this. She got her last message across, and you two are alive. That's what she wanted. I know the typical, stereotype things to say here, about how she's in better place, be happy for her, blah blah blah... those aren't what is important here. What is important here is that we are here, because of her. Thanks to her. And while there is absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with mourning her or missing her, and I think everyone here will agree with me on this, you also have to be happy that you're here too. So... before I start crying and pass out from sheer exhaustion, will you give me a hug, so I can go to bed, and then get some sleep yourselves, and promise that tomorrow will be a good day for all of us?”

Taylor bit her lip for a moment, then the mere ghost of a smile touched her lips, and she came forward, wrapping all three of us in a hug. I slipped both of my arms around her waist, pressing into her. It just so happened that my face happened to be at her breast level, so I got a faceful, but sex was about the last thing on my mind at that moment, and I simply enjoyed the closeness.

“Thank you for being here. All of you. I hope you don't mind us crashing on your couch,” Taylor said softly. 

It was Lisa who replied. “Of course not. You're welcome to it anytime.”

Taylor stepped back, and was replaced by Emma. I once again got a faceful of breast, but didn't even hardly notice, as I slipped my arms around her as well, giving her just as fierce a hug.

“Thank you for taking me in. For helping me,” Emma whispered. I felt her lips brush the top of my head. “And for your words. Tomorrow will be a good day.”

I leaned back and smiled up at her, my eyes closed again. “Excellent. G'night!” I half mumbled, and stagged towards our bedroom, promptly running into the counter once again. Missy giggled, and caught me before I fell, then Lisa had my other hand, and they walked me into the bedroom. I was very vaguely aware of kicking off my boots, and feeling Missy's hands on my bare torso as they stripped my costume off, then not one, but two slim warm bodies sliding in on either side of me, then the lights were out completely.

* * * * * * * 

Morkulv sighed as the door slid shut behind him. Into the belly of the beast, he thought to himself rather glumly, as the cameras ahead flashed and sparked, lenses swung in his direction, recording ever moment as he walked out of the building with Alexandria, Miss Militia, a scattering of Wards and various other capes from various locations, and Glory Girl and Panacea standing to either side. A resounding cheer went up from the gathered mass before the damaged PRT HQ, applause and whistling filling the air. 

Morkulv repressed another sigh. It was hard to see only the joy in their faces, and not notice the still-receding floodwaters in the distance behind them, or the lines of body-bags on the other side of the field. One of them he knew contained Shadow Stalker, but he had no way of knowing which one, not at this time. He knew Lisa and Kelsey had taken Taylor and Emma away as soon as they had finally been released, but even still, two days later, the capes were dragging along, all desperately tired and in need of rest, and none of them were getting it yet. He looked at Glory Girl next to him, and saw the dark rings under her eyes, the way her jaw strained to stay closed as a yawn pulled at her. On his other side, Panacea put her hand on his arm, steadying herself as she swayed on her feet. He bit back his own yawn, and tried to summon a fourth, or even fifth, reserve of energy, but it was getting harder. He hadn't ate in what felt like a week, and without proper rest or nutrition, he was on the edge of falling over right with them.

Alexandria was addressing the mass of press, and even she looked like pure exhaustion embodied. None of the rest looked any better. With a final hurrah, the crowd roared again, cheering and exploding in a frenzy of “thank yous” and the like. She waved them off, and turned to the gathered capes. 

“Get some rest, would you?” she said simply, and those staying here turned and went back in, leaving Morkulv, a few capes from other places, and the two girls standing alone outside before the crowd. He looked over them still. Only a few were beginning to disperse, the rest were watching intently, as if the scattered few standing there were about to put on some kind of show. He slipped his arm around Panacea's waist, holding on to her tightly, and took Glory Girl's hand, lifting off into the air slowly as she followed, then accelerating quickly away from there. 

He came to a stop on the rooftop of the apartments he was assigned, and didn't dare let Panacea go. She was limp, asleep on his shoulder already. He hefted her easily, and carried her towards the stairwell. “You're welcome to stay with me tonight. I wouldn't blame you in the least.”

Glory Girl gave only the slightest pause. “I don't... think I have enough energy to do anything,” she said, and he was absolutely certain he heard a little regret in the statement. He smiled to himself.

“Don't worry. The only thing I want right now is to sleep for a year, then take a really long shower.”

She smirked, and followed him down to his apartment as he carried her sister along. 

Seconds after slipping out of his coat, and helping Victoria strip Amy down to her underclothes, so she could rest easier, they slipped into bed, all falling asleep nearly instantly.

* * * * * * * 

My eyes opened slowly, and rolled around the room. I knew where I was, but it felt so... surreal. I felt someone move next to me, and turned, in surprise. I hadn't shared a bed with anyone—literally anyone—since Taylor's childhood sleepovers. But it was Taylor, curled up with her back to me, pressed against my side. I blinked a couple times, and then lifted my head, looking over her. She was on the very edge of the couch-bed that Lisa and Missy had put together for us, while I was sprawled out. I scooted over, and gently reached over, rolling Taylor over, further into the bed. She didn't even wake up, rolling over, scooting up against me again, and this time her arm came out, crossing my tummy, holding me as she used my shoulder as a pillow. 

I was surprised to note that I was smiling. I gently slid my arm under and around her, cradling her against me as well, and rested my cheek atop her head. My eyes drifted close one more, but it was only to visions of the battle, to seeing Sophia's broken body surface in the murky water, stained red around her as her sightless eyes stared at the sky. 

Oddly, I felt emotionally numb to the image, even though my eyes snapped back open. I had seen her die. I had been right there. And I had seen her give her life to save Taylor. My Taylor. 

I gently pressed my lips to the top of her head, and she stretched in her sleep and rolled back slightly, turning her face up to me. Her eyes opened a little, and a small smile crossed her lips. “I need to get used to the new hair color still,” she commented.

I rolled a lock of my black hair around a finger, raising it between us. “You did it, you should be used to it!”

Taylor giggled just a little. “I know, just saying... it... it looks really good on you. Sometimes I just miss the red, natural you.”

I blushed very slightly. “Well. Thank you,” I said softly. 

About that time, the bedroom door behind us opened, and Kelsey stumbled out, rubbing sleep out of her eyes still. She was just wearing a t-shirt, which only came to her hips, so her panties were clearly visible. Black with white pokadots, I noticed for perhaps the first time that though she was young, still a kid, her backside was rather full and round, an enviable bottom, with toned, full legs unlike most girls her age with thin legs. Taylor rolled over to see Kelsey walk into the kitchen, then re-emerge with a bottle of water in her hand. She noticed both of us were awake, and smiled broadly, angling directly towards us. 

“Hey!” she said lightly, and climbed up on the edge of the bed, then knelt down, sitting on her heels. Her legs were slightly parted, giving both of us a clear look straight at her most intimate parts. My cheeks flushed as I realized that I was actually looking—never before had I found little girls sexually attractive. Sure, I had experimented with Sophia once, but even that had been rather “meh” and most of my sexual activity had been rather limited to a couple makeout sessions with local boys. God, I was still a virgin, and yet here I was, staring intently at this little girl's panty-covered mound, making out the lines of her sex through the cloth. A girl that I knew was romantically involved with another girl, who wasn't far away. 

Kelsey didn't even notice my scrutiny, talking to Taylor instead, as she rolled over to say hello. 

Then, suddenly, to my complete and utter surprise, Kelsey was on her hands and knees, leaning over Taylor, and swiftly pressed her mouth to Taylor's, kissing her fully, her back arched just a little, her bottom sticking up behind her. 

My mouth fell open, and I gasped, loud enough to make Kelsey stop and look up at me. 

“Wait your turn!” she said with a giggle, then kissed Taylor again. 

I expected Taylor to protest, to push her off, to tell her to get lost, to do.... something besides what she actually did—slide an arm up and around her neck, pulling her down. As I watched, her mouth opened, and I saw a flash of tongue, unsure of whose it was. 

* * * * * * *

Kissing Taylor was fun. It wasn't something I had done very often, but she was a talented, natural kisser, and besides, she needed it, I could tell. She needed a little love, a little affection. Inwardly, I smirked at Emma's shock, and looked up at her wide eyes, parted lips... “Wait your turn!” I told her, then kissed Taylor again, opening my mouth, feeling hers open under mine, sliding my tongue along hers, exploring her mouth leisurely for a few seconds before raising up. Taylor gave me a little smile.

“Thanks, Kels.”

“No problem!” I smiled widely, and looked up at Emma. She was a little blurry, since I wasn't wearing my glasses yet, but still, I could make out her shocked face. “Welcome to the Undersiders,” I said, as I crawled over Taylor, feeling her hand stroke across my thigh, over my bottom briefly, and took Emma's face in both hands as she sat up, with me on my knees before her, and kissed her gently, softly, ghosting my lips across hers. “Things like this... you'll probably need to get used to.” I winked at her, kissed her again, then jumped over the back of the couch, and went back into my bedroom. Missy was awake now, sitting up and stretching. I smiled at her, and quirked my finger. She followed me into our bathroom, and I keyed up a shower. While the water heated up, we brushed our teeth quickly, then stripped each other off and hopped in.

I was giggling, washing her back, my hands covered in body wash and suds, working my way down, across the curve of her lower back and the swell of her bottom, when I felt Lisa's arms slide around my waist from behind, her breasts pressing into my back, and her chin rested on my shoulder. 

“Getting started without me, I see,” she mused, and I glanced down at my hands, with one of Missy's cheeks in each one, and couldn't hold back the giggle that burst out.

“Sorry, Lisa,” I mused. “She's just... fuckin' hot, ya know?”

“Language,” she admonished softly.

I turned to look at her and beamed at her brightly. “You're cute.”

She laughed, and then she was kissing me, her tongue sliding into my mouth and dominating it as she kissed me hungrily, passionately. One of her hands on my waist slid up my belly to my small breasts, the other down, between my thighs, covering and cupping my sex. The shower water poured over all three of us as Missy turned around, and my soapy hands slid over her smooth and toned belly, slowly moving upwards to the gentle swells of her breasts, finding her nipples hard and erect. She leaned forward and kissed my neck as Lisa's tongue swirled around mine, carressing and rubbing it fiercely as her hand switched breasts, squeezing and rubbing my nipples. Her hand between my legs rubbed gently, her middle finger sliding up and down my small slit, barely pressing into my folds.

“Not that I don't particularly enjoy this,” Missy murmured through kissing and sucking my neck and shoulder, “but... Emma and Taylor are right outside. Shouldn't we either... like... include them? Or... see them out first?”

Lisa broke our kiss and stroked my clit with the tip of her finger gently, making me whimper and twitch in her grip. “Perhaps,” Lisa said, and smiled, kissing me again, softer, and stepped back, reluctantly letting me go. I pouted at her, and she shook her head. “No, no, none of that. Put that lip away. Let's get dried off and move to the main room.”

Getting dried off, it turned out, was a rather complex process when it kept devolving into caresses and kisses between the three of us. I would wipe down Missy's arm, and then trail down it with my lips, and then she would do my leg, and trail up with fingers, getting awfully close to my pussy before regretfully pulling away. By the time we were dressed—at least a little—I was firmly convinced we were doing this completely backwards. It was an odd feeling to kiss your lover as you put her shirt ON her. I was much more used to taking Lisa's clothes off while I sucked on her tongue. 

However, I was in for a bit of a surprise when we went back into the living room. Taylor and Emma were no longer alone. Brian was sitting on the couch between them, an arm around Taylor as she curled into his side. Their mouths seemed fused together while Emma watched, seemingly spellbound by all the sexual displays going on before her.

I beamed, grabbing Lisa's hand, and pulling her down slightly so I could whisper in her ear. “Emma hasn't done anything, I think. She's rather innocent. Can... can we totally corrupt her?”

Lisa giggled. “You're bad,” she responded. “But yes. Yes we can.”

I smiled broadly, and grabbed Missy's hand, pulling her after us as we made our way around behind Emma sitting on the couch, watching Brian and Taylor. He had one of his hands up her shirt, I noticed now, covering one breast, with her hands roaming all over his chest and stomach, pulling him closer as she tried to climb onto him at the same time.

Lisa leaned over Emma's left shoulder as I leaned over her right, and Missy moved around, sitting on her left, on the other side of Lisa, eyeing Taylor and Brian a little, biting her bottom lip. “Like what you see?” Lisa asked softly.

Emma jumped a little, and looked around at the three of us. I grinned at her, licking my lips just a little, and she turned back to Lisa, who was giving her a coy smile. “I... ah.... dunno...”

I leaned forward and kissed Emma's cheek. Missy looked back to us quickly, and put her hand on Emma's thigh, with a little smile. Emma glanced down at her hand, but made no move to stop anything. Even as Lisa put her hand on her cheek, turned her to look at her, and drew her in slowly, until their lips met. Their kiss was chaste, innocent, pure...

I straightened up then jumped over the back of the couch, landing next to Emma, and leaned across her to kiss Missy, who responded warmly and eagerly, opening her soft little mouth under mine, cupping my cheek in one hand, kissing me harder. I peeked with one eye at Lisa and Emma. Emma looked at me for a second, her mouth opened a little, then Lisa was kissing her again, sliding her tongue into her mouth where I could see it, making Emma moan softly in the back of her throat. I put one hand on Emma's thigh and leaned further over, running my other hand down Missy's slender neck, over the curve of one small breast and then cupped it, squeezing it softly.

Emma arched as Lisa kissed her harder, one of her hands rubbing the top of her chest, dipping under the neckline of her t-shirt slowly... 

“Mm... excuse me, girls,” Taylor said softly in my ear. I opened my eyes, pulling back from Missy slowly, looking up at her. She smiled at me, and touched my cheek, then looked towards Emma. “I think I need to do something that is a little overdue.”

I leaned back a little more, and Lisa turned her head to see Taylor, and smiled widely as Emma turned with her...

* * * * * * *

Kissing Lisa was magical, I decided. Her tongue slid into my mouth so smoothly, so easily, so... delicious. It was the best kiss of my life. I moaned into her sweet mouth, feeling Missy and Kelsey leaning over my lap to kiss one another as well, hands on my thighs, stroking higher and closer to my burning center. I was surprised to find myself wanting them to go higher, to explore me, to touch me, to....

Lisa pulled away, and my eyes snapped open. Lisa's head turned, and I followed her gaze, to see Taylor leaning over my lap now, her face coming closer...

Her lips hit mine, and my world exploded. For a year, for a decade, for a second, nothing existed except for my mouth and hers, sealed together in a passionate kiss. My tongue in her mouth, hers in mine. She was sitting on my lap, her hands holding my face, my arms wrapped around her waist, crushing her to me. Everything—everyone—else faded away into absolute nothing. Literally nothing except this kiss mattered. Nothing else existed.

When we finally parted, we continued to cling to one another. She was pressed so close, her forehead resting against mine, her lips parted as she breathed heavily. “I've wanted to do that since...”

“Since we were little?” I finished for her.

She blushed, but nodded. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. 

I rubbed her back with one hand. “Me too, Taylor.”

I kissed her again, pulling her mouth to mine as I arched up into her. I felt and heard Lisa moving around behind Taylor, then her hands came down, gently moving mine down. I felt Taylor's soft, yet firm bottom under my hands, and gave her a squeeze as Lisa pulled Taylor's top off, then unsnapped her bra, and pushed it off her shoulders. Then Taylor was yanking at my shirt, and off it came. Kelsey urged me to lean forward, and reached behind me, unsnapping my bra as well. Taylor pulled it off, then they were laying us down, Taylor on top of me. My legs parted of their own accord, and she slid between them, grinding herself into me. Our bare chests met for a moment, and I felt her nipples rubbing against mine. I moaned and pushed my chest up against her harder.

* * * * * * *

Morkulv woke to a noise. He froze for a moment, ears straining... and then heard it again, a soft sigh, followed by a little moan. He rolled over, sitting up, and immediately smiled. Victoria was laying on her back with her legs propped up and open, spread widely. Amy lay between them, her face buried in her sister's pussy. He merely watched for a moment until Victoria opened her eyes as another soft moan escaped her, and saw Morkulv sitting and watching. A smile spread across her face. “Sorry if we disturbed you,” she said, and Amy paused, looking up at them. 

“Not at all,” he growled low in his throat. “Have.. have you two been doing this often?”

“Since you encouraged us to,” Amy said with a little happy smile. Morkulv felt an immense burst of pride and affection in his chest. He knew Amy had always been in love with Victoria, and being a part that had brought them together, avoiding the horrific fate that had been waiting Victoria... it was amazing. He smiled his wolfish grin and nodded. 

“That's great,” he growled again. “Don't let me interrupt.”

Amy smiled at him and lowered her mouth to Victoria's perfectly smooth shaven sex once again. He watched her tongue come out, tracing the lines of her sex, before diving into her folds. He watched as Victoria's head fell back, mouth opening in a louder moan. He grinned and reached over, rubbing one of her breasts, feeling her hard nipple against his palm. Her face turned towards his, pupils dilated, mouth hanging open as her breathing quickened. 

Amy crawled up a little, sticking her bottom up just a little bit as she got more into it, and Warren didn't miss a beat, summoning a small black tendril that quickly snaked down, twisting around her thigh as it wound its way upwards before forking into two, rubbing against her sex with one, pressing against her lips without parting them. The second snaked a little higher, pressing between her cheeks and massaging her back entrance without penetrating. Amy moaned and pressed back slightly, sucking harder on Victoria's clit as she did so. 

Another tendril sprung from his hand over Victoria's breast, and engulfed her nipple, mimicking a sucking and licking motion, another breaking off and latching on her other. A third sprang into existence, wiggling its way under Victoria's slim body, working its way down towards her bottom.

Amy whimpered slightly as the one on her bottom squirted a little fluid over her hole, then began pushing its way inside, the fluid acting as lube as the black tendril worked its way up inside of her. She licked down to Victoria's wet hole, and thrust her tongue inside as far as she could, tongue-fucking her sister as best she could as the tendril pushed in even deeper into her bottom. Victoria arched up again, moaning louder as she was stimulated, and Warren leaned closer, licking her cheek, then she was sucking his tongue into her mouth, rolling her tongue against it and sucking on it harder, panting harder and rolling her hips against her sister's mouth. She gasped as she felt his tendril reach her back entrance, and again when it squirted a little fluid over her hole, then slid up into her bottom quickly, expanding and vibrating rapidly within her tight backdoor.

Amy groaned and pushed back against the tendrils behind her, and he slid the first up her wet sex to her entrance, then pushed it inside of her pussy, expanding both it and the one in her bottom, sliding them in and out of her holes now in alternate strokes. She cried out, arching her back and rocking with the thrusts, bringing one hand up to slide two fingers into her sister's overly wet pussy, finger-fucking her while licking her clit, sucking on it and rubbing it with her tongue...

Victoria cried out as she came, Warren's tongue sliding from her mouth and moving down to one of her breasts. The tendril there wavered then vanished into a wisp, replaced immediately with his tongue, slavering over the hardened nub as she jerked, both hands reaching down, making fists in Amy's hair and pulling her tighter against her as he continued to fuck her tight little ass with his tendril. 

“Oh fuck me,” Amy moaned, coming up for air for a split second before Victoria thrust her hips back up to her mouth, and she went back to eating her with a will, pumping her fingers faster and sucking even harder. Victoria rolled her hips and exploded into a secondary orgasm. Warren could see her juices flowing over Amy's cheeks and chin, and he groaned, getting up and moving down the bed until he was behind Amy. She glanced back at him once, and spread her legs a little more, arching her back, pushing her bottom up to give him total access to both of her holes. He grinned and leaned down, both of the tendrils fucking her vanished in a split second, and then his tongue was inside of her pussy, tasting her juices, sweet and tart at the same time, her soft pink insides clenching around his tongue as it wormed its way deep inside of her. She pushed back against him and he slid his tongue in and out of her tight passage, tongue-fucking her faster, until she began to cum as well. As she did, he pulled out, licking up, tickling her other hole with his tongue as he straightened, and scooted forward, rubbing his cock between her cheeks. 

“Where do you want it?” he growled at her. “Here?” he poked the head of his hard, engorged cock against her wet entrance, then pulled back and aimed a little higher. “Or here?”

Amy gasped and moaned again, looking over her shoulder at him. “Wherever you want,” she replied breathlessly. 

He grinned, and flexed the tendril in Victoria's bottom, making her arch upwards hard, moaning loudly. “Fucking both of you in the ass at the same time... irresistible,” he growled, and thrust his cock into her small rounded bottom, groaning aloud as her tight and hot passage swallowed his length. Amy cried out, and pushed back hard into him as he filled her completely, stretching her out. He grabbed her hips, holding her in place, and pulled back before thrusting in again as hard as he could, his hips smacking against her soft cheeks, his thighs pressed against the backs of her shapely legs. 

He looked up at the ceiling, groaning as Victoria cried out under Amy's mouth and his tendril, and grinned his wolfish grin. Life was good.

* * * * * * * 

I pushed Lisa back into her seat, climbing into her lap and kissing her hungrily. She kissed me back as hard, wrapping her arms around me, one hand sliding down the back of my shorts to cup my bottom, the other going up the back of my shirt, pulling it up. Missy's hands slid around my waist, and pulled my shirt the rest of the way up and off, leaving me bare from the waist up again. She immediately cupped my tiny little breasts from behind, rolling my nipples on her fingers, pushing my hair to the side with her nose and chin and kissing the back of my neck while Lisa squeezed my bottom. I was eager and wet, and ached for more contact, to taste my Lisa, to devour her and Missy both.

Brian had sat with Taylor and Emma, and was busy finishing undressing Taylor while Taylor had one of her hands down the front of Emma's pants, the button and zipper undone, showing her pink and black panties design over Taylor's hand as it worked two fingers in and out of Emma's tender young pussy. 

I tipped my head to the side as Missy moved to the side of my neck, nipping and sucking, and Lisa broke our kiss for a second to pull her shirt off. I unsnapped her bra, pulling it off of her, and covered both of her round breasts with my hands, feeling her nipples harden against my palms, and squeezed them gently, pushing them up and kneading her flesh gently. Missy let go of me long enough to strip herself down until she was clad only in her white and red panties, and then pressed up against my back again. I could feel her small nipples rubbing against me, and sat up enough to reach down and push my shorts down. Lisa got the hint, and pulled them down one leg, then off the other. I was wearing pure purple panties, and she grinned at me as she reached down between us, sliding two fingers along my slit through the cloth, which was already soaked through, sticking to my flesh. 

“Someone is wet,” she whispered. 

I pulled her into a hungry, hard kiss, rolling my hips against her and pushing my bottom back into Missy's groin as she pressed fully against my back. “Only for you,” I whispered in her ear as our kiss broke, and licked the contours of her ear, sucking the lobe into my mouth and nipping it gently with my teeth. I felt a slight shiver run through her, and ran my hands down her flat toned tummy, undoing her shorts, pushing them open, and sliding one hand down the front of her panties, feeling the silky smooth texture of her creamy skin under my fingers, then the moist heat of her sex... I groaned as I sank one finger up into her easily, feeling her silken heat grip my finger tightly, hearing and feeling her breath expel from her lungs forcefully as I fingered her.

In return, she was rubbing my slit harder, making me grind harder into the palm of her hand. Missy leaned over my shoulder and Lisa kissed her soft lips gently, reaching around me with her other hand to grab her bottom and crush her into me, and in turn, pressing me against her front even more. I sucked on her neck hard, still rolling my hips between both of them, feeling my wetness soak through my panties even more, slicking Lisa's fingers working between my legs. 

“I wanna taste you,” Missy whispered in my ear, and I moaned as she pulled me backwards, until I was on my hands and knees in front of the couch, and peeled my panties down around my thighs. Lisa scooted her bottom forward to the edge of the couch, and lifted her legs up, drawing her own panties off and tossing them aside before spreading her legs to either side and biting her lip as she watched me stare into her wet sex for a single moment before diving in, licking up one of her smooth thighs to the crease of her hip, then up the other, then slowly, from the bottom of her slit to the very top, wiggling my tongue between her netherlips and against her clit ever so slightly, making her gasp and raise her hips slightly. 

Behind me, Missy pushed my cheeks apart, then licked me, from my clit all the way to the back, her tongue wiggling against my other hole. I groaned into Lisa's pussy and ran my tongue down between her lips to her entrance, thrusting my tongue inside as much as I could, tasting her lovely juices flooding into my mouth as she wrapped one hand in my hair, grinding up into my mouth as I tongued her. Missy's tongue back and forth between my pussy and bottom, wiggling and stroking, then she went down to my clit, sucked it into her mouth, pressed against it slightly with her teeth, making me moan and buck against her. Lisa held me firmly in place as I licked up and down her sex, trying to gather as much of her sweet nectar as I possibly could. 

Missy, still sucking on my clit, suddenly slid one finger deep into my little pussy, and I moaned loudly, pressing my hips back against her mouth, then slid it out slowly, then pushed it back in, pumping it in and out a few times before withdrawing it. I felt her finger trail upwards slowly, then suddenly work its way into my tight little bottom, pushing in and working in and out slowly but surely, as her tongue came up and pushed into my pussy. I moaned and felt an orgasm rapidly approaching, and tripled my efforts on Lisa's sex, sucking and licking, fingering her now as well, her tight little pink pussy clenching around my fingers as I fucked her with them, sucking every drop of her juice up I possibly could. 

* * * * * * * 

I had never been fingered before, and most especially never by a girl. But Taylor's slim fingers working in and out of my pussy made my eyes cross, the pleasure rolling through my body in waves that made me unable to focus on literally anything else. Her lips moved against mine, her tongue in my mouth, while Brian leaned over, cupping my breast in his hand. It was strange—I barely knew him at all, but oddly I didn't care, even as he lowered his mouth, and took a nipple into his mouth. I gasped at the unexpected burst of sensation as he suckled at the firm little nub, his tongue sliding up and down, then nibbling gently at me, his lips pulling as he sucked...

Taylor pulled away from the kiss long enough to concentrate on pushing my pants off, then she was pulling off my panties as well, leaving me completely bare. I was suddenly glad I had recently shaved down there, as her hand covered my hot and needy sex once more, her middle finger wasting no time at all before sliding back up inside of me. I spread my legs for her. She sat back and winked at Brian, who looked up at her, then stood and moved around behind her, taking down her shorts and panties in a heartbeat. She let him, and lay on her belly, putting her head between my thighs. 

“Has anyone ever done this to you before?” Taylor asked me, looking up at me as she spread my pussy open with two fingers. 

I stared down at her, and shook my head slightly. “No.. never...”

Taylor grinned. “Good. I'm the first to taste you.”

And then she lowered her head down, and kissed my inner thigh, small, pecking kisses that trailed ever higher... my breathing quickened as she got closer, and I felt my pussy clench in anticipation. I had seen porn before, of course, and masturbated, and often fantasized about what it would be like to finally have a boy between my thighs, licking me there. But this... having Taylor there instead... was infinitely better. It felt better. It felt right. It felt... perfect. 

Her lips finally closed around my hard little clit, and I cried out at the pure pleasure, rising my hips to meet her as her tongue slid out and across my heated flesh. Brian moved over Taylor's back, and I saw his cock, large and erect, rub against her backside as he put his legs on either side of her hips, and pushed it between her cheeks, rubbing against her. Taylor moaned, and her back arched, pushing her hips up slightly. Brian pulled back for a moment, grabbing a little bottle from the dresser, and squirted some of its contents across his cock, and then stroked it with his hand, then between her cheeks, pushing them open to drizzle a little down on to what I knew had to be her back entrance. 

Taylor's eyes flickered up towards me as she pushed her bottom up a little higher, her well rounded and sculpted bottom sticking up as Brian reached down, sliding the lube around her tight hole and working it into her with a finger. She moaned into my pussy, setting me aflame anew. I could feel a little surge of wetness flow out of me, running down the curve of my bottom, and then her tongue was chasing those drops, licking them up, each and every one. I shivered and she licked me slowly, from the very bottom of my slit to the top as Brian positioned himself over her ass, angling his cock downwards, and pushed into her.

She moaned loudly again, my clit between her lips, vibrating with the sound. I cried out and my back arched clear off of the couch I lay on as she did so. Brian began to move slowly in Taylor's backside as she continued to lick and suck at me. I cried out loudly again, feeling an orgasm rapidly approaching. Taylor seemed to sense where I was at, and sucked and licked harder, her tongue rapidly moving up and down and back and forth and then suddenly, I was there, my world exploding in pure, unfiltered pleasure as I came and came, unable to even try to hold it back.

* * * * * * * 

“Let's head up, see what the others are up to,” Amy said. “Maybe we can all get something to eat together, or... something.” She smiled as she pulled up her panties. Warren watched her intently, and then nodded. 

“Sounds good.”

He got dressed, watching the sisters help one another back into their clothes. Amy had taken an extremely quick shower, and her hair still hung in wet strands around her face, which was still flushed, almost glowing. He smiled at that; he liked bringing that look to girls. 

He followed the two of them out and down the hallway to the elevator, which they took up and went first straight to Lisa and Kelsey's apartment. After all, it was typically where the others were found most of the time. He didn't bother knocking, instead just opening the door and walking in. Amy and Victoria followed him in, and then all three smirked at one another, looking at the gathering in the living room.

Kelsey was between Missy and Lisa, licking and being licked... Taylor laying on the couch with Brian thrusting against her shapely ass, her face buried between Emma's thighs. 

“Looks like they're getting over Sophia in their own way,” Amy whispered to him, and he grinned, sliding an arm around her, resting his palm on her bottom. Even though he had just fucked that same bottom, he felt his cock twitch to life again. 

“Shall we join them?” Victoria asked, already stripping back down and walking into the mix. Kelsey looked up first and saw them coming, not even pausing as she fingered and licked Lisa, and her eyes lit up as Victoria went straight towards her, sitting next to Lisa, reaching down and stroking Kelsey's hair back out of her face. Amy followed her over, kneeling next to the young girl, running her hands down her back, lightly brushing Missy's cheeks as they locked eyes for a moment...

Warren himself went to Emma and Taylor, Brian glancing up at him as he fucked Taylor harder and faster. 

“Mind if I take over here?” he asked Taylor. She grinned and leaned up enough for Warren to grab Emma's hips, swiveling her to face him instead. He picked her up easily, and set her on the floor, kneeling before him. She looked up at him with slightly glazed eyes as he undid his pants and pushed them down, then gently guided her mouth downwards. Her lips grazed his cock, then they were parting, and his cock slid into her mouth. He groaned and pushed down on the back of her head slowly, sliding more and more of his length into her mouth, until it hit the back of her throat. She coughed a little at that, and he eased the pressure, content with the basic blowjob. 

Amy pulled Missy up from Kelsey's bottom and sex and kissed her, licking the sweet trails of wetness from her cheeks and pulling the smaller girl against her. Lisa was cumming—and it did not look like the first time—under Kelsey's administrations, and Victoria gently untangled the smallest and youngest girl from her girlfriend and pulled her into her lap, stroking her body and kissing her, running her fingers through her hair, tweaking her little nipples, squeezing her bottom, running her hands up and down her legs and tummy. Taylor moaned as Brian pulled her hips up a little higher, and began to really pound her ass in earnest, thrusting hard and fast, plowing into her with nearly bruising force. Taylor panted and moaned into the couch pillows, her hands fisting in the upholstery. 

Emma was climbing up on him before he truly realized it, and straddling his waist, pressing her pretty little breasts into his chest as she did so. “It's my first time,” she warned, as he reached down, lining his cock up with her pussyhole. He simply grinned as his cock rubbed up and down her slit, then nudged into her opening, then he gripped her hips, and controlled her descent down, his cock sliding into her excruciatingly slowly. 

With the only exceptions being Kelsey and Missy, she was the tightest pussy he had ever felt. Her tight passage was exceedingly wet, however, making his entrance easier. He slid in, until he felt the blockage within. “This will only hurt for a second,” he warned, then pulled her down, sheathing himself inside of her. She hissed, biting her lip, and held perfectly still on him for a long moment, her walls clasping and milking his length for a long moment before she looked up into his eyes. Her eyes were completely dilated, and her mouth open as she began to move, rolling her hips forward and up, backwards and down. 

He growled low in the back of this throat as she moved on him, slowly riding him. He could feel when she began to cum, literally only seconds later, her pussy clenching as she panted and clutched at his chest, moving in short, frantic thrusts until he grabbed her hips, controlling her movements again, moving her up and down his length with long, sure strokes. She moaned and panted and whimpered as he did so, rolling her up and down, up and down...

Brian called out as he came, filling Taylor's bum with his potent cum. She was nearly drooling under him, a frantically cumming mess of heat and sweat. Lisa was helping Victoria as the two worshipped Kelsey's little body, trading kisses and licks with the small girl, their tongues moving over her breasts and pussy in turns, making the girl cum again and again. Amy and Missy were locked in a 69, Missy on top, both girls moaning and crying out as their orgasms washed over them in turns.

Looking across all of this... Warren couldn't hold it back for a single second more, and thrust up into Emma's tight body, straining harder as he pounded her. She came again, burying her face against his chest as he came... and came... his cock spurting long streams of his cum directly against her little cervix, flooding her tender womb and overflowing down her tight pussy and dribbling out over his cock. 

He collapsed as he finished, utterly spent. Emma was passed out against his chest, his cock, softening, still buried in her cum-filled hole. Everyone else was laying spent wherever they were. It had been a glorious celebration of life, he decided.


	20. Chapter 20

“Lisa, I love you, and you're like, super cute, and adorable, and perfect, and you know all of that, but I swear, if you don't move like right now I'mma explode into a ball of stress!”

Lisa blinked at me, then smiled, and stepped to the side. “Better?”

I drew a deep breath. “Yes.”

On the TV before me, blue-skinned aliens riding reptile-looking birds were soaring across the sky.... Avatar. I was watching Avatar. I hadn't seen it yet, and I was absolutely riveted, having taken a break from the suit design and modifications I was making for Tattle. Building a second suit had proven to take too much time and materials, so instead I was just refitting mine with more tools and expanding the cockpit, by remvoing and condensing some of the systems that had been right behind the bulkwall. Doing this also afforded me the opportunity to be able to reinforce the systems within, and finally get a good look at what made the cannons tick as well, which was helping me with re-designing the tech with my touch instead of only Dragon's—which to me, could only mean that they were getting infinitely better. Dragon may have been good and great and wonderful, but that was before I had arrived on the scene. I was better. 

“Well. While you watch your movie with Missy, I'm gonna go to town. Need anything?”

Missy glanced up at her. “Snacks?”

“Soda!”

“Popcorn?”

“PIZZA!”

She laughed. “Shoulda guessed. Alright. You two have fun. Behave.” She winked at me and I stuck my tongue out at her. “Love you,” she said as she leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. 

“Love you too,” I mumbled as I kissed her back, leaning to peer around her face at the TV at the same time. 

“You're hopeless,” she laughed, and kissed Missy quickly before grabbing her jacket and heading out. 

Missy burrowed tighter into my side, and I returned the sentiment. We were basically intertwined as we both stared at the screen in total silence, watching the movie unfold before us. Once it ended, I was back at work in my suit, crawling into the back access panel with my bottom half hanging out as I perched on a bar, working on moving two rubes back further, and analyzing the material and stress on them to see if I could manage with a smaller tubing for space conservation. It was about this time I remembered reading once that Armsmaster had the market pinned for forcing mass amounts of tech into impossibly small spaces. Knowing that the PRT would have some examples that I could use, and possibly reverse engineer, I decided that while doing this, it was the perfect time to give Victoria a call, and see if she could help me get my hands on it. 

“KC, cell phone. Call Victoria.”

[Affirmative.]

The piece in my ear beeped, then began ringing. Victoria answered after two rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it's Kels. I was wondering if I could ask for a favor.” I grunted slightly as I tried to extricate myself from the suit unsuccessfully, ending up with my legs kicking at the air as I nearly fell all the way inside, head-first.

“Sure, anything. What do you need? And are you alright? Sound a little stressed.”

I resisted a little giggle. “I'm fine, just working on my suit, and hanging out the back end of it. So! Favor. I remember hearing that Armsmaster had some sort of Tinker tech that could shrink, essentially, other tech, and force more stuff inside of a small space. I was hoping to get some samples of that so I could figure out how it works and make it work for my suit. The PRT would have samples in their Tinker library, wouldn't they?”

“I imagine they would,” Victoria confirmed. “I'll make some calls, and come see you when we can head over, okay?”

“Perfect! Thank you, you're beautiful and wonderful and amazing and supa-cute.”

She giggled. “Supa-cute, eh? I'll take it. Talk to you soon, Kels.”

“Bye!” 

The earpiece beeped as the call ended, and Missy's hand landed on my thigh. “Need a hand?”

“Mmm.. naw. I like hanging upside down. Yes please!”

She laughed, and helped me out of the suit. I gave her a quick hug, which she returned warmly.

“Do you mind if we have a little talk once Lisa comes back?” she asked me suddenly, her face serious.

“Not at all. What's up?” I quirked an eyebrow at her, trying to strike a cute pose.

She smiled. “I just... well. I thought I would wait for Lisa to be here too,” she said slowly.

“Wait for me for what now?”

We both glanced up at Lisa standing in the doorway, laden with bags. I bounced to her, taking several, and set them on the counter as she followed me inside, the door swinging shut behind her soundlessly. Missy was right behind her, taking some more bags from her, and helping unload the groceries she had brought.

“Well um,” Missy began as we spread the bags out, and started picking through them, putting things away. “I was wanting to talk to you two, because... you two are together.”

I beamed. I loved when I was reminded—by whatever means—that Lisa was mine, and me hers. “Yes we are,” I said, and caught Lisa's eye, giving her a little wink. She smiled back.

“And well, I've been spending an awful lot of time here, with both of you.”

“Yes you have!” I grinned at her, and as I went by, pinched her firm little bottom. She squeaked, and jumped, spinning to face me. I merely smiled innocently, and she laughed.

“And you're concerned about where you 'rank' with us and how we both feel about you and each other, and don't want to get between us, but at the same time you love us both, and don't want to lose either of us in any capacity.” Lisa turned to both of us, and smirked.

“Sometimes, I hate your power,” Missy murmured. “But yes, essentially.”

I moved back to her side, and slid my arm around her waist, turning her to face me. She put her hands on my shoulders for a moment, then slid her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I whispered in her ear, “Missy, you're mine as much as Lisa as. As much as I am hers, I am yours. You are part of us, part of our lives.”

Lisa came up next to us, and kissed both of our cheeks. “What she said,” she said to Missy, with a wink. “We adopted you into our relationship and lives. You're part of it now. Like it or not.”

Missy grinned, then buried her face in my neck as she flushed. I smiled at Lisa as she leaned in and kissed me softly, her tongue gently tracing my lips. I opened my mouth under hers, and it darted inside for a quick caress before she pulled back, and she went back to putting things away. I rubbed Missy's back, and she looked up at me. I was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes, but then she was kissing me, her mouth opening mine, tongue sliding into my mouth, passionate and urgent. When she finally parted, she kissed my cheek, trailing kisses to my ear. “Thank you,” she breathed in a bare whisper, and her tongue darted out to gently trace the contours of my ear. I shivered as my mouth fell open with a rush of my breath and arousal spiked in me hard. I pulled her closer, and licked her neck, then our mouths were back together, my tongue in her mouth, with hers curling around it, welcoming it in, massaging it...

Lisa slapped my bottom lightly. “Hey, you two. We have work to do.”

We slipped apart, both of our cheeks flushed. “Later?” Missy asked me, smiling her prettiest little smile.

“Later,” I agreed, and pulled her back for one last, quick kiss, then we helped put the rest of the stuff away. 

Grabbing one of the sodas Lisa had brought in (and thanking her with a kiss and a little bum-touch and squeeze), I walked back to my suit in the corner of the main room, and began installing the screens for Tattle's systems, climbing into the cockpit and sitting in her new-new seat. It was a bucket “racing” seat with a full harness, to ensure she never tumbled about the cockpit again, with screens mounted into the back of my chair that would be linked to all the cameras, and others to each side for data feeds, searches, and other miscellaneous tasks that she may need to perform.

Lisa came over to check it out, and smiled broadly, seeing me tucked into her spot, my feet up and braced against the back of my own chair as it worked on the back of one of her screens in my lap. “Looking good,” she admired.

I glanced up at her, and smiled. “Thanks, babe!” I winked at her as she shook her head. 

“You're so corny.”

“And you're so pretty.” I grinned, and she laughed.

“Too bad the back end doesn't look too great yet,” she mused, and winked at me.

“I'm working on it!” I protested. “Victoria is going to be getting back to me soon and we're going to go to the PRT headquarters and get my hands on some of Armsmaster's tech so I can see about adding some more weapon systems into the backend of this as well. And thicken the armor platings, and increase the productivity of the suit overall.”

“Awesome,” she mused, and glanced over the suit again. “I'll leave you to it, kay?”

I nodded, and sipped my drink, then hooked the screen in and raised it to the side, mounting it quickly and efficiently. I double-drilled the backend to make sure it would not come loose during aerial maneuvers and in the event that the suit took a direct hit. 

Only a few minutes later, my earpiece beeped with an incoming call, and I tapped the bud, accepting the call. “Hello?”

“Hey sweetie, it's Vicky. Got your clearance. Meet me downstairs in five, I have a driver taking us over.”

“Awesome, you're the bestest, like, ever. Be right down!”

She laughed. “See you, cutie.”

I hopped out of the suit, and dashed into the room, pulling off my dirty work clothes as I went. Missy shook her head, getting up off the couch and following me, picking up articles of discarded clothing. She caught up to me in the bathroom as I scrubbed a couple dirty marks off my cheeks and then turned to her, standing in only a pair of navy blue and black panties. “Oh, hey!”

She laughed, and held up the bundle of clothing. “In a hurry?”

I nodded, bit my lip, then toweled my face dry, threw my hair into a hap-hazard ponytail, dashed past her, and threw on a black t-shirt and blue skirt that came to my knees in ruffled waves. “Going to the PRT for some Tinker tech.”

“Ahh,” she mused, and put my clothes in the correct hamper for me. “Have fun then, I'll see you later tonight. And Kelsey?”

I paused, looking to her as she came to me and wrapped me in another hug, her lips finding mine. “I love you. Thank you for accepting me. I'll see you tonight, right?”

I kissed her back warmly, and smiled. “Yes, you will. I love you too.”

Then I was out the door, dashing down the hallway, hopping in the elevator while pulling my shoes on while hopping on the other foot, then out the lobby. I hit the street about the same time as Victoria arrived, sitting in the backseat of a fancy-looking car. She smiled and waved, and I hopped in, and off we went.

She made pleasant idle small talk as we drove to the PRT. My mind wasn't really on that, however, but looking out the window at the mass of construction materials moving up and down the streets. Dump trucks filled with rubble were moving to large camps set up outside of the city where the concrete and steel were being broken apart, melted down, and reformed into re-usable materials, then loaded back onto flatbed trucks and driven back into town. The flooding damage from Leviathan's attack had been (predictably) most severe in the Docks, where most of the shops and buildings had been either completely destroyed or were only partially standing. They were still working on rebuilding roads to get into some of the more severely damaged zones, I knew, but still, seeing the concentrated, focused rebuilding effort going on so soon after the attack was a miracle in and of itself. Usually cities devastated by Endbringers went on to live through years and years of rebuilding efforts. It seemed Brockton Bay was on an expressway back to the top. 

It probably had to do somewhat with our presence in the city. We had eradicated all of the major villains in our city. Even the E88 had pulled their remaining members out of Brockton Bay in light of everything else happening. The PRT, while not the dominate force in the city, was securely in control of minor villains, to the point where we didn't even get called to help anymore. The true power in the city was New Wave, and everyone knew it. We had ended the plague brought forth by the Slaughterhouse 9. We had defeated the Endbringer—granted, with help, but we had been the first line of defense, the first line that had bought enough time for everyone else to bring a concentrated effort to the defense of the city. And we had me.

I felt a certain amount of pride, but also the severe weight of that responsibility. I knew my talents, my abilities. I was still finding my limits, but nevertheless, I was always pushing myself one step farther, one step harder. I had become a global hero literally overnight in San Francisco, and even more so after the Endbringer attack. I had seen some of the news footage released of the fight. Scenes of my suit flying in close and hot, risking it all, it seemed. Scenes that centered around Morkulv as well, especially in one impressive move where he had slammed into Leviathan and carried the Endbringer backwards twenty or so feet by himself before being joined by Alexandria, and working together with her and going toe-to-toe with the beast.

“We're here,” Victoria said lightly, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I beamed at her. 

I followed her out, and inside, through multiple levels of security, several checkpoints... and finally into a rather small room. Along one side, there were a row of computers, and along the others, various pieces and parts of tech strung out and put up for perusal. I looked about a moment, as Victoria sat in a corner. 

“Unfortunately I'm going to be rather useless helping you find anything, you Tinkers are well beyond my understanding,” she said, and pulled out her phone.

“No worries. Thank you for getting me here. I'll try not to take too long.”

She smiled. “Take as long as you want. We're excited to have you with us, remember. We want you to have the best stuff available, and if that means I have to wait here a few hours, that's a tiny price to pay for that.” She winked at me, and went to her phone, and I dove in headlong into the pieces up on display, looking through each one. 

It wasn't long before I found exactly what I was looking for, but by that point in time, I was hooked on what seemed like a huge book of potential knowledge. There were many things that didn't yet make sense, because I had no idea what they were saying, or what the wording the author had used meant, but looking at the parts, they seemed to come apart in my mind, and I could see and understand how they worked, how the parts fused together into one glorious little piece of machinery. 

And once I had seen the trick of Armsmaster's “shrinking” tech, I wanted to slap myself. It was rather simple. Blindingly so. I picked up some schematics, putting them on a jumpdrive that luckily the PRT had given me, along with a few other files of interest I had found, some with inlaid code that I thought I might be able to implement into KC, and upgrade her processing power again, combined with Armsmaster's tech.

“I think I'm ready,” I said finally, tearing myself away from the computer. “But promise me I get to come back someday.”

Victoria smiled as she looked up from her phone and unplugged it from the wall. How many hours had it been, that she had needed to charge the phone? Jeez, but it was easy to lose track of time all too easily while involved with something that was Tinker-y. “It might be a while. The PRT isn't fond of sharing their Tinkertech, even with allies like us. It required quite a few strings to be pulled to get you in here this once.”

I smiled widely at her, and stepped over to her, giving her a big hug. “Well, thank you very, very much for that. I really do appreciate it. This was a most illuminating visit.”

She kissed the top of my head as she stood. “I'm glad. Shall we head back then?”

I nodded, and back we went. 

As soon as she dropped me back off at the apartment complex, I was upstairs, back in my room, and burying my face in my computer immediately. I had it plugged into multiple ports on the suit, and hardwired directly into KC's processor. I pulled out the chip, and set to it with a solder iron and some clips, a magnifying glass overlay and tweezers. 

At some point, I was vaguely aware of Lisa asking me if I wanted to go to bed yet, but I waved her off with a request to get me some smaller tweezers. She pulled some out of a “secret stash of Tinkershit” she had under one of the counters, and handed them over. I tossed the ones I had been using aside—as the tips had nearly melted from the solder anyway—and went right back to work.

The next thing outside of my work I was vaguely aware of was Missy rubbing my back. I had a cramp I hadn't noticed until her hands found it, and she pushed me out so I was laying on my belly, propped up on my elbows as she rubbed my back down under my shirt, her lips nipping at my neck and ears for a bit. After a while, she contented herself by sitting next to me, then the next thing I was aware of was Lisa giving me a semi-groggy hug and asking me if I wanted breakfast.

At that, I finally pulled myself away from my work long enough to do a quick survey, and see how much was done. I had upgraded several of KC's processes and code fragments, cleaning up the overall program and decreasing lag within her internal systems' communications down to fractions of a millisecond. I had done the same to most of Tattle's systems and pads inside the suit, as well as redesigned and streamlined the control panel. With those done, I had moved on to the suit itself, and managed to reduce the internal size of the entire structure by nearly 45% – the result being, of course, that there were extreme amounts of space within that was no longer being utilized. I converted most of this into additional ammo storage for expendable weapon system modes, storage capacity, and even managed to expand the cockpit to house a third seat, so if necessary me and Tattle could take on a passenger for whatever reason. Then, I had re-done the energy cannons, increasing their capacity and destructive potential, and increasing the amount of options on levels of energy used. I had tied a process of KC's directly into the cannons so that she could constantly monitor and adjust the energy usage from the cannons, to deliver maximum punishment without endangering the self-sustaining energy system within.

I had parts of my costume opened now, and was working on linking controls to the suit directly into the hyper-durable spider silk fabric of my costume, and had increased the potential data relay from all outside sources to my visor by ten-fold. The same increase had been done on Tattle's primary screen. Literally all of the information I could possibly collect was now at our literal fingertips while in the suit. The scanners I had upgraded and had also managed to quadruple the capacity of the wireless range of the suit and earpieces. I was nearly done on what I needed to get done. There was only some minor cosmetic work to be completed now. 

And, I had done it all over the course of a single evening and night. 

I set my tools down slowly, and blinked my eyes a few times. Lisa turned my face to look at her, and smiled. “There's my beautiful girl.”

I smiled tiredly at her. “Hey.”

She kissed my forehead, then my nose, then my lips tenderly and softly. “All done with your work?”

I nodded, feeling the work begin to settle on my shoulders and the exhaustion setting in. “Yeah. For now, anyway. I got quite a bit done.”

She smiled. “That's good. I'm proud of you. But hey, you should know... you hurt Missy's feelings a little last night.”

I frowned. “I did? How?”

She stroked my hair out of my face, tucking a few strands behind my ear for me. “You promised to spend some time with her later. When she tried to spend some time with you, you were so focused on your work you barely even noticed her.”

I flinched. I remembered it dimly, but Lisa was absolutely right. I had been so focused and absorbed in my work I hadn't really paid attention to anything around me. Including bodily needs. I crossed my legs as I realized that one, I really needed to pee, two, I was starving, and three, crushing regret was burying me. “Oh... did you...”

“I told her why, and that what happened was nothing personal whatsoever. But she was still hurt by it. I think it was a little too close to how she was treated in the PRT and we had gotten so far away from that to be reminded of it was more devastating to her psyche than what you actually did, unintentionally or not.”

I bit my lip. “Gimme a min. I really, REALLY need to pee.”

She smiled a little bit as I literally sprinted into the bathroom, and was still right where I left her when I came back. “Where is she?” I asked softly.

“She went on a patrol early this morning. Said she needed to get out for a bit. She's due back in about an hour.”

“Lisa... I love you with all my heart, for bringing this to my attention and everything else that you are and all that you do. But...”

“Don't worry, I'll go see Taylor and Emma for a bit when she's on her way back. Let you two have the room. Until then, are you hungry?”

I nodded. “Extremely.”

“Waffles?”

“And eggs, and sausage, and bacon, and potatoes, and french toast, and...”

She laughed. “I get it. I'll make you something to eat. How about you hit the shower right quick?”

I sniffed my armpit. “Do I stink?”

She hugged me tightly. “If you did, would I do this?” she asked, then kissed me, hard, her tongue sliding right between my lips. I sucked on it hungrily, and pressed myself into her grip.

“Mm... I suppose not,” I murmured as she finally pulled back. 

“I just thought it might help you wake up, and get out of your work trance.”

I nodded. “Good idea. I'll go do that.”

So I went back to the bathroom, gathering some clothes to put on when I was done, and Lisa to the kitchen, preparing breakfast. I spent a long time under the hot water, feeling the spray loosen the sore muscles across my shoulders and back. The massage Missy had given me last night had been most needed—I needed another, but the water made do, for the moment. I washed thoroughly, shampooing and conditioning my hair, using a vanilla-scented bodywash and scrubbing every inch of myself I could reach, before finally turning off the water and stepping out, wrapping myself in a huge fluffy big towel. I dried off, blew dry my hair, and spent a few moments actually doing it up cute. I ran two braids, from my temples back to the crown of my head, merged them into a looping ponytail/braid, and then got dressed. I had picked out a simple pair of dark purple bikini panties, with a little white bow on the back, a cute black ruffled skirt that only came to midthigh, and a purple and black V-neck sleeveless shirt. 

When I came out, Lisa was already sitting at the table, two plates set before her. She had put them both together for us, and I hopped over, giving her a big thank-you kiss before hopping in my chair and digging in. We ate in silence, then I helped her clean everything up, and then she slipped out the door with a wink and blown kiss. I hopped up on the couch, sitting on my feet as I flipped the TV on and waited for Missy.

She was back shortly after, walking in the door in plain civilian clothes. She was looking straight-up adorable in a white long-sleeved shirt, made a little long for her, coming down around her thighs. She was wearing black leggings under that, and her hair was done in cute ringlets. Her eyes went straight to me, and I smiled at her, gesturing for her to come and join me. She smiled back, and came over, hopping on the couch next to me. 

I put my arms around her at once and gave her a big hug. “You look special,” Missy observed. “What's up?”

“Nothing...” I said coyly, then kissed her cheek. “Hey. Guess what!”

“What?”

“Love you.” 

She blinked at me, then her cheeks flushed. “Love you too.”

“I'm super sorry about last night. I just... I get into a certain zone, a state of mind, and it's really hard to pull me out of it until I finish what I'm working on. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and I'm absolutely certain that I did, and I'm really sorry. I'm all yours today. Promise. No work, nothing else. Just me and you.”

She smiled. “It's okay, really. I get it. I just... I don't know. I'm not sure why I was hurt by it. It's not like you were turning me down or kicking me out, or doing anything silly. You were just working.”

I shrugged. “Work has it's time and place. But you're more important to me than work. Being with you, spending time with you, that's what I really want. Working on tech, that kind of stuff... it's like my hobby. What I do when I can't be with you. Or Lisa, or both of you. So, I'm sorry I was a bitch, and didn't pay any attention to you last night like I promised. I got distracted with the Tinker Library and it consumed my day.”

She leaned forward, and kissed me softly. “Really, it's okay.”

I smiled, then kissed her again, taking her face between my hands and pulling her to me, kissing her harder, sucking her tongue into my mouth and caressing it with my own, pulling her body closer, so I could feel her breasts pressed into my chest, my thigh between her legs, hers between mine...

“I want to taste you,” she moaned into my ear as she pushed me back, licking my ear, making me shiver and then licking down my neck, over my jaw, back to my lips, kissing me hard, my tongue sliding into her mouth, where she sucked on it suggestively, sliding up and down it minutely. I ran my hands down her slender neck, over her shoulders, down her arms, then back up her sides, grabbing her shirt and pulling it up until it was bunched beneath her breasts, her toned and flat belly bare. I ran my hands back down her sides again, feeling the gentle slopes and curves of her sides. Still young, she was still developing her figure, much like I was, but still, she had a knockout body that made me wet just thinking about her...

She reached down and slid one hand up my thigh, grasping my leg and lifting it, hooking it over her hip as she used her legs to nudge my other leg open, so she lay between my spread thighs, my skirt riding around my waist, baring my panties to her. She kissed me harder, her tongue in my mouth now, dominating and fierce. I whimpered under her, pressing my whole body upon along hers, and pulled her shirt up more. Our kiss broke long enough for me to pull her shirt off over her head, and my hands slid down her back, smoothing her hair down, right to the straps of her bra, undoing the snap deftly and pulling the straps off of her shoulders. She shrugged out of it, pulled it from between us, and tossed it aside, grabbing the bottom of my shirt and yanking it over my head, so we were both topless. Her breasts, small, perfect, topped with her delicious-looking pink nipples, pressed against mine, and she smiled before she kissed me again, her hand on my hip running around to my bottom, lifting my hips up to her, squeezing my bottom, her fingers working under the band of my panties and stroking gently against my smooth skin.

“You smell so good,” she whispered as she nuzzled her way down my neck, kissing, licking, nipping, and sucking at me as she went. I was breathing hard and fast already, wet and wanting her so much... I pressed my chest against hers, feeling our nipples rub together, and another whimper escaped me at the sensation. She smirked and pinched my bottom playfully, her other hand coming up and covering one of my tiny breasts, squeezing the subtle mound and her fingers finding my nipple, tweaking it lightly. 

Her mouth covered my other nipple, her hot, wet tongue rubbing against it, working the erect little nub, then sucking on it, pulling it between her teeth. She rolled it gently, then sucked again, flicking it with the tip of her tongue. I ran my hands down her back as far as I could reach, finding her bottom and gripping it, pulling her groin into mine. For half a fleeting second I almost wished she had a cock to bury inside of me. I wanted to feel her within me, but the thought fled as fast as it came. I thrust one hand under her leggings and panties, squeezing the smooth flesh that was her bottom and pulling her tighter to me. Her mouth switched to my other nipple, and I moaned aloud as she licked it, then blew lightly across the damp skin. If possible, I felt my nipples get even harder as arousal spiked in me hard. I knew I had to be soaking my panties by now, and barely even cared. All I wanted was Missy... 

Her tongue made wet trails down my belly, dipping into my navel, then further down, to the waistband of my skirt. She flipped that up, and moved under it, licking along the top edge of my panties. With her hands, she pushed my legs up, spreading them even further apart. I whimpered and moaned as she kissed down along the crease of my thigh, then caught the band of my panties that went over my very wet sex and pulled them to the side, baring my smooth slit to her eyes. 

“You are so beautiful, so perfect,” she moaned, and then licked me fully, from the very bottom to the top, her tongue cutting between my lips and diving in deep right away. I moaned and rolled my hips as she licked again and again, swirling her tongue around my tight little hole and up around my clit, then back down, teasing and licking and sucking in all the right places. 

“Let me taste you too,” I begged from above, and she looked up at me, and smirked, standing long enough to peel her leggings and panties off. She was then straddling my head, facing my feet, and lowered her hips down slowly, her bare smooth sex slowly coming into my range until at long last I could stick my tongue out and run it along her smooth and delicious pussy. Her juices flowed out readily onto my tongue and her back arched above as she lowered herself fully, sitting on my face as drive my tongue up into her sex, using both hands to grab her thighs and pull her down more, opening my mouth wider under her as she got even wetter, little trickles of her girl juice dripping into my open mouth as I sucked on her clit and rolled it with my tongue. 

She laid down again, diving back between my legs, and I moaned loudly into her as her fingers found my pussy, sliding right into my tight sheath as her tongue attacked my clit. I was cumming before I fully realized it, my orgasm exploding out through my body, making me buck up against her. I worked one hand around her bottom, and rubbed her little hole there with a fingertip as I nibbled and sucked at her little clit, making her hips rock, a little surge of her juices flowing into my mouth as she pushed me through one orgasm and into a second, my own girlcum filling her mouth. 

She fingered me faster and harder, licking and sucking at every drop of my juices that escaped from my tight little sex, and I moaned loudly into her pussy, unable to stop a third from racing over me...

As it did, I slid my finger into her bottom, and she cried out into me as she came with me, her body bucking on top of mine, her back arching and her pussy pushing down onto my mouth harder. I moaned and sucked on her harder, gently finger-fucking her backdoor and then sliding another finger into her tight, wet pussy, fingering both holes. She cried out as I softly bit her clit, and came again on me, her finger clawing up inside of me, hitting me in all the right places. I spasmed and jerked and nearly blacked out as she sucked hard at my tiny sex, and the next thing I knew she was kissing me, her lips moving gently over mine. I could taste myself on her, and knew she could taste her own juices on me. She licked a drop of her own cum from my cheek, and then slid her tongue into my mouth. I giggled and wrapped my arms around her, rolling us over so I was on top, kissing her warmly and passionately. 

“That was awesome,” she breathed under me.

I licked her cheeks and neck, tasting myself all over her, and felt my arousal slowly returning. “Mmm.. it was. Very awesome.” I licked her neck again, and couldn't resist sliding down to suckle at one of her perky little nipples, then down to her navel. Then I was looking at her little pussy again, spread open and puffy for me, her wetness slowly seeping out of her. I went to with a hungry will, licking, sucking, fingering... 

She came under me I don't know how many times before she finally reached down, pulling me away. “Can't... take... more,” she panted. Her face was red and flushed, and she had never looked more beautiful to me. She was gorgeous, sexy, everything I had ever wanted and more. She curled up with me on the couch, nuzzling into my neck as we cuddled tightly. 

“Love you, my little Vista,” I whispered.

“Mm.. all yours,” she breathed back, a smile on her face.

* * * * * * * 

“They're coming? You're certain?”

“Absolutely. The Wards were the first to find their first victims, in the Docks. There were a group of civilians, probably still refugees from Leviathan, they had been massacred, hung up in a way only they do. They're not coming, they're already here.”

“What are they waiting for, then?”

“Who knows? We've never been able to stop them before. There's no reason to think that this time will be any different.”

“We have New Wave. We have weapons.”

“Weapons against weapons... why is it, throughout all of history, mankind has always resorted to fighting fire with bigger fires?”

“What else would you suggest? Rolling over, complete submission?”

“Of course not.”

“Then our only option is to fight. We have to. Maybe this time will be different.”

“Pretty sure we said the same thing last time.”

“This time is different.”

“Pretty sure they said that last time too. What makes you think this time will be?”

“Like I said, we have New Wave. They managed to form the first line against Leviathan, and he was turned back. We stopped a fucking Endbringer. The 9 can't be that much harder.”

“They're soulless, lack empathy, compassion.”

“And yet, they still bleed, they still die. We can win. We will win.”

“I hope so.”

If Dragon could have leaned back in a chair, she would have. Instead, she checked other processes running in a thousand places as her logical circuits worked overtime. The Slaughterhouse 9 were in Brockton Bay, and they wanted the very same people Dragon did, if for entirely different reasons. Reasons that were enough to make her place her personal vendetta to the side. She brought up a new message window, letting the conversation with Miss Militia die. 

“Armsmaster?”

“Hello, Dragon.”

“I need your help.”


	21. Chapter 21

Warren sat back in the booth, smiling as Brian leaned forward, grabbing a fry from the basket and popping it in his mouth. “No way,” he said, shaking his head. “There is absolutely no way I buy that.”

Warren shrugged. “Not my job to convince you.”

He laughed, leaning back, and Taylor, sitting next to him, smiled as she reached out slowly, grabbing a fry and pulling it back. Warren watched her, smiling slightly. Even the way she moved was beginning to resemble insect-like movement. She rolled the fry over her fingers before raising it to her mouth, taking a delicate small bite. He wanted to roll his eyes. What was with girls, and eating in public? They became dainty little princesses.

_Don't blame her,_ he said to himself. _She's been mentally abused for a few years. Her public life has been hell. Of course she's taken to these subconscious habits to protect herself from retaliation from others. Girls are the meanest thing on the planet, and she has been subject to them for a while. She's making progress, but it doesn't happen overnight. Be patient with her. Support her._

Emma shook her head, sitting next to him. “I don't believe it either,” she declared, glancing at Taylor, smiling and taking a fry for herself.

Warren shrugged. “Some of the best stories are those that you just can't believe without having been there.”

“I have a few of those,” Brian said, smiling, and launching into a story about some guy he had met once. The two girls listened, enraptured, but Warren himself only listened with half his attention. The other half was wandering, finding it hard to keep focused on the moment at hand. His mind kept drifting over a various array of thoughts, feelings...

Primarily on his mind was the fact that the “true” world he was from was feeling far more distant with every single day. Every moment, every hour, he grew more and more accustomed to the world around him. The realer it became. The more concrete his emotions, his feelings. He found himself thinking less and less about how he knew the future, knew what was coming. And the more he let Twilight, Kelsey, have her way without directing her, the more she indirectly affected the overall universe. He could see events unfolding differently around him to the point where he was no longer sure if the same things that had worked before would work again.

He looked at Brian, smiling, putting his arm comfortably around Taylor's shoulders, the way she leaned subtly against him, smiling herself. Her face was full, bright, alive. She had put on a little weight, but in a really good way. She wasn't scrawny anymore. She was filling out, in a very pleasing and delightful way. Her eyes weren't downcast nearly as much anymore. She had confidence in herself and confidence in her friends. She hadn't had to handle things alone, and it showed.

Emma, sitting next to him, laughed at Brian's story, and popped another fry into her mouth. She was so different, so open, so genuine. Every moment spent around her was a painful reminder that she wasn't supposed to be here... but yet she was. With powers. Because of him. What else would change? What else would be different? And would he ever, in his life, find a way to tell Kelsey? He wanted so badly to pull her aside and tell her everything she had forgotten, explain everything to her. And yet every single time he had tried... nothing came out. Nothing at all. Except for maybe his sexual energy.

He still recalled, quite fondly, his “sessions” with her. She had been, quite literally, a little ball of fun, and he wanted to explore her again. And Emma, and Taylor.

“We're gonna be late for the show, we should get going,” Taylor observed, grabbing one of the last few fries in the basket.

Brian nodded, and pulled out his wallet. “This will be my treat,” he declared, and stood, heading off to pay quickly as the girls gathered their things, then Warren escorted them both out, one on each arm. They giggled at some of the jealous looks flashed in his direction from some of the other patrons, then they were outside, walking down the street to the nearby movie theater. He wasn't even sure what they had roped him into going to see with them, and quite honestly, he didn't really care what it was.

They had come and got him, and here he was. Enjoying their companionship. Enjoying being alive here, and now. Enjoying these people who technically, in his real mind, his reality, did not physically exist. And yet, they were as real as anyone else he had ever met. They had feelings, thoughts, emotions, souls. They were as alive as he was.

Not for the first time, he wondered if perhaps the multi-verse theory was more true than people thought it might be. Were all the ones from his world merely closing their eyes to the facts, closing their eyes and hearts to the far-superior reality all around them? It wouldn't really surprise him. His world was dull, uninteresting, without magical wonder or splendor, like what existed here.

They passed another group heading in the opposite direction, and someone in it recognized Emma, calling out a greeting. She smiled and waved, but turned her attention immediately back to Taylor and Brian. They were sharing another story with one another, and Warren again was only half-listening. He heard one of the punchlines, however, and chuckled. They were in a very good mood, and it, in turn, lifted his own spirits.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a couple of bills, passing them to Taylor, so she could grab their tickets, on him. She did so, and then they were inside, amid the heavy smells of popcorn and treats, the chatter of the crowds milling about filling the large lobby. Various movie trailers were playing on screens perched around the room, but he found his eyes now drawn to the bottoms of the two girls he was with as they walked ahead of him, taking eachother's arms as they hopped in line for concessions. Him and Brian brought up the rear. He noticed with a sidelong glance that Brian as well was enjoying the view ahead of them. Both girls were wearing tight, form-fitting, hip-hugging denim jeans which accented their hips and curves and pert, round, full bottoms. Emma was wearing a top that didn't quite make it all the way to her waist line, leaving a bare strip of skin about an inch and a half wide around her middle exposed. Taylor's top brushed the top of her jeans, but as she bounced and moved excitedly, it gave small glimpses to her smooth, ivory pale skin there as well. Emma had her hair done up in her new fashion, and for the lack of any better term, looked simply hot, and tempting.

Warren felt his cock stir ever-so-slightly as he stared at them, and found himself wondering how to get one, or both, of them alone for a quick fun ride while they partook in the movie itself. Then the couple ahead of the girls backed up, causing Emma to back up quickly, and she backed right into Warren. Her soft bottom pushed up against him as he curled an arm around her waist in reflex to catch her. Both of her hands came down on his arm, and he swore for a long moment, she paused, shifting her bottom ever so slightly back into him, then looked up at him over her shoulder.

“Sorry,” she said with a small smile.

“Not a problem,” he replied, and gave her a soft little squeeze before letting her slip away. She stayed put for a moment longer, even without him holding her to him, then stepped back up next to Taylor, and they went up to the counter. Brian looked at him with a little smirk.

“Think she enjoyed that,” he whispered, watching the girls from the corner of his eyes as they ordered popcorn and drinks for all four of them.

Warren glanced at him, and chuckled. “Maybe I did as well.”

Brian gave him a little wink. “No problem in that. She's a sexy girl.”

Warren looked over Emma's backside again, and realized he had made up his mind—he was going to have her by the end of the movie, one way or another. “That she is.”

The girl running the concession stand set their tubs of popcorn down as her helper got their sodas. Taylor handed her some money, and handed the popcorn tubs back to the guys, then a soda each, and lead the way to the theater itself.

Warren was extremely pleased to note when they entered the lights were already dimming as the trailers were starting, and that the theater was nearly completely empty. They picked a row towards the back, and filed in. Brian first, then Taylor, then Emma, then Warren. They sat in the large, cushy recliners offered in this theater, and propped the tubs of popcorn up between them, so they could each access it easily. Warren set his drink in the cup holder, and Emma turned in her seat, tucking her feet under her as she leaned his direction. They flipped up the armrest between them, and she leaned against his side directly. He grinned. Step one accomplished.

As the trailers played, he pulled up his sexual power, and with just the smallest thread, touched Emma with it. Not even enough to cause a physical reaction, just enough to implant the suggestion, the idea, the mere thought... but it was enough. She took his arm, and pulled it around her shoulders, scooting a little closer. Warren noted on the other side, Taylor was doing the same with Brian, and he began to wonder... had the girls planned this? Suddenly it all seemed extremely convenient.

As the movie began, Warren found himself paying more attention to the beautiful slim girl curled up next to him instead of the movie itself. He trailed his fingers—aware of the fact that illusion field or not, they were tipped with sharp claws—softly up and down her side, gently teasing the little bared bit of flesh around her waistline, pulling her tshirt up little bits to a time. She pressed tighter against him, so the scent of her shampoo, bodywash, and _her_ filled his senses entirely. She was so clean, so pure... he buried his nose in her hair and drew a deep breath, feeling her giggle a little, and her hand began drawing light patterns on his thigh, through his jeans.

He slipped a claw into the waistband of the back of her jeans, and pulled them out far enough to just sneak a little peek down the back of them, spotting her blue, frilly panties, decorated with white lace and a little tie that made a neat bow right in the back, with a small gap beneath it that gave the most teasing glimpse at her bottom.

He let her jeans go back into their natural position and ran his hand up her back, this time slipping his hand right under her shirt, all the way up to her bra strap. He fiddled with the clasp for a moment, but found his claws made undoing it deftly with a snap of his fingers impossible. He didn't want to cut it, which he easily could, so instead... two little black tendrils sprouted from his finger, tiny, deft... they wrapped around the clasp and quickly undid it. She tilted her head up, looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Naughty boy,” she whispered, then leaned forward a bit, pulling her shirt up a bit and reaching up under it, working one arm out, then the other, and pulled her bra off, tucking it into one of his coat pockets. “You can hang on to that for me then,” she whispered, and reclined again against him, turning slightly so her back was more to him, taking his arm and pulling it around her and placing his palm on her belly.

He went back to stroking her smooth flesh right away, smiling to himself as she reached behind herself with one hand, and rubbed his groin with her palm, finding and tracing the lines of his hardening cock through his pants. He slid his hand up under her shirt, and palmed one of her breasts, feeling the soft globe of flesh fill his hand, her nipple hardening against his palm as he kneaded it, then switched to the other. She let out a soft little gasping moan, and he grinned as he felt her hand squeezing his cock.

He reached around with his other hand, and slipped it down the neck of her shirt, feeling her soft breast as his first hand now went down her belly, gently unsnapping her jeans with two more tiny black tendrils, and pulling her zipper down, then sliding his hand between jeans and panties, he reached down, cupping her pussy in his palm. She was radiating heat, and he could feel that she was already a little damp, her juices beginning to flow to the point they were beginning to drip into her panties. He grinned, and tipped her head to one side, licking her neck, up to her ear. She gave another little soft moan, and raised her hips against his hand. He grinned, and the black tendrils slid around her panties, tracing her baby-smooth slit, dipping into her lips, pushing gently into her folds. She gave a surprised gasp as she felt one trace the edges of her wet little hole, and begin working into it.

“I've been dreaming about doing this with you again,” she whispered, looking up at him, and he merely smiled, and slid the tendril inside of her, letting it grow and swell as it speared into her wet little tunnel, filling her completely. She hissed and her back arched, pushing her breasts hard into his hand.

Warren glanced over at Taylor and Brian, and wasn't surprised at all to see Taylor with her head in his lap, slowly moving up and down. Brian had one arm around her back, and through her tight jeans, he could clearly making out that he was fingering her from behind as she rolled her hips slightly and increased the rate of her movement slowly.

He turned his attention back to Emma entirely, and began to slide the tendril in and out of her tender, young sex, its length pulsating and rippling, changing form within her and vibrating slightly, making her raise her spare hand and bite a knuckle to keep from crying out as he fucked her. Her panties were now soaked, her wetness dripping into his hand as he kept it over her pussy, feeling her body quiver and tense as the tendril moved within her.

Then he decided he needed some relief as well. His cock was painfully hard within his pants, and her hand, stroking him through the cloth, while feeling good, was not enough. He wanted to feel her tight little body. He slid his hand out of her jeans, but left the tendril in place. “Roll over,” he urged her, and she did so, unsnapping his pants quickly, pushing them out of her way in a frenzied surge of activity to get to his cock. Once he was free, her mouth immediately closed over the end of his length, her tongue caressing his head and licking hungrily at the drops of pre-cum that oozed from the head of his engorged shaft. Her tongue traced along every edge and contour of his shaft, making him groan, and in appreciation for her efforts, he quickened the pace of the tendril in her pussy, making her hips jerk sporadically as she got fucked and sucked his cock at the same time.

He closed his eyes and leaned back, glancing up at the screen. There was some type of battle going on, several explosions and gunshots going off, while the heroes were obviously on some sort of desperate defense mission. He couldn't care less. His eyes closed as he raised his hips, placing one hand on the back of Emma's head, urging her to take more of him into her tight, hot, wet little mouth. She groaned as she worked him in as far as she could, his cockhead rubbing against the back of her mouth, trying to slip into her throat.

A part of him wanted nothing more than to push her down, skullfuck her until he came in her deliciously tight throat, but he knew she was new to this, new to sex, and probably couldn't handle such an aggressive move so soon. But the urge to sheath his entire length inside of something was too great. He had to have more.

He pulled her up, standing her before him. Luckily, there was no one seated behind them to notice. He pulled down her pants and panties with the aid of his tentacles, then turned her around, so her back was to him, and urged her to spread her legs, straddling his lap as he scooted lower in his seat. She looked down, and saw his cock jutting up, pointed straight at her sex. She got the idea immediately, and lowered herself onto his lap, his cock slipping between her lips, and right into her tight pussy.

They both groaned together as he filled her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her down until she was seated on his lap fully. Her body was like a searingly hot liquid glove, form-fitting, insanely tight. There was definitely no better feeling in the world than a tight, wet, pussy. She leaned back against his chest, and his hands slid up her belly, under her shirt, cupping her breasts. Her hips rolled, forward and up, then back and down, sliding his cock out and back into her tight slit. They both groaned softly as she began to move regularly.

Warren let go of her breasts, and pushed her forward, bending her down, so her bottom was outlined perfectly from his point of view. He could see the little hole between her bottom cheeks, looking ridiculously tight. He put his hands on her cheeks, and two small tendrils came from his thumbs, snaking down to that little entrance, and wiggled their way into her as her hips rolled and bobbed, working his cock in and out of her body. She gasped and bounced harder against him as the tiny tendrils whirled inside of her bottom, vibrating and sliding against all the right places, putting pressure against the thin wall separating his tendrils from his cock... she raised her hand to her face, biting her finger again to keep from crying out as she bounced harder and faster.

Next to them, Taylor was riding Brian, face-to-face, their mouths locked together in a fierce kiss. Brian had her bottom in his hands, controlling her rapid movements, and as Warren glanced at them, Taylor jerked and spasmed as she came, and he watched Brian's hips jerk hard into her, and knew he was coming inside of her, filling her with his cum. The mere thought of her little pussy filled to the brim with his cum, while feeling Emma clench and cum on his cock over and over was too much for him, and he grabbed her hips, jerking her down as far as he possibly could, thrusting up hard, his cock pushing against her cervix, and came, his cum crashing into her as if fired from a cannon, blasting into her womb, filling her completely.

She panted as he pulled her back upright, his tendrils fading away, and cuddled her into his chest. She moaned happily, holding onto him as her pussy rippled and clenched around his cock in aftershocks. They watched the rest of the movie like that, his softened cock still up inside of her, with her legs spread wide over his. He didn't even care if anyone else saw, and neither did she, apparently. When they could tell the movie was coming to an end, Taylor tapped them on the shoulders. “You two should get dressed,” she whispered,” and giggled a bit to herself, sliding back into her own seat as well.

Emma blushed, but did as she suggested, finally sliding off of Warren's lap, picking up her panties up, then wiping between her legs with a grimace. Warren handed her a wadded handful of napkins, which she used to clean up the worst of the mess, then pulled her panties and jeans back on. She leaned over, whispered in Taylor's ear, and they slipped out, heading to the restroom early to finish cleaning up. Warren wiped his lap clean with the napkins, then pulled his jeans back up and did them up right as the credits hit the screen. He and Brian stayed sitting there for a bit.

When Warren looked over, Brian met his look with a huge, goofy grin. “Best. Movie. Ever,” he said.

Warren laughed. It had indeed been an amazing experience.

* * * * * * *

Instead of heading back home with the others, Warren instead took off across town, hopping on a couple buses to get to his destination sooner, without needing to reveal himself just yet. When he hopped off the last bus, he walked down the street, noting the lengthening shadows all around. It was starting to get dark, but he knew he had a couple hours at the least before Rachel would leave her dogs alone.

He could hear the shelter before he saw it. The barking and howling dogs running about the fields and runs set up for them was audible nearly a block away, which was probably part of the reason they had set up the shelter so far from everyone else. As he walked up the driveway, a car was pulling out.  
  
“We're closed, sorry sir!” a polite, pretty girl said as she pulled up next to him.

He raised a hand. “I'm aware. Don't worry, I'm a friend of Rachel's.”

“Oh, I see. She's still inside. Have a great night!” she waved and took off. Warren waved back, and continued up to the door, stepping inside. Rachel wasn't in the entry lobby, but he saw her in the back, with a dog in her lap as she slowly brushed it out. He watched her for a moment, then tapped on the window to attract her attention. The illusion generator could fool human senses, but not a dog's. While they might see what looked like a human, they smelled him, in his true form, and only dogs that were used to him reacted well to that. Wanting to avoid escalating the noise, he motioned for her to come to him, and she gently picked up the dog on her lap, carried him to a kennel, made sure the dog was comfortable, then came out to the front room.

“What?” she asked, in her typical blunt fashion.

Warren shrugged. “Haven't seen you for a bit. Just checking in.”

“Did they put you up to this?” her eyes narrowed, and there was no question of who “they” were.

“No. I was genuinely curious as to how you're doing.”

She shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Fine. Have a good place for the dogs here. I'm training them.”

“Are you happy?”

She stared at him, her eyes narrow, as if trying to figure out what trick he had up his sleeve. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. Are you happy here? Is that why you rarely come home? You don't go out with us much anymore. Are you afraid to?”

“I am not afraid,” she snapped, crossing her arms. “You guys have your thing. I have mine.” She waved a hand in the general direction behind her. “The dogs need me. You don't.”

“You're still part of our team. We will always need you, Rachel.”

She didn't have a reply to that, so she just shifted uncomfortably and glared at him.

“Come home tonight. Get some rest. You can help the dogs better when you're well rested too. And remember, we care about you as well. We would like to see you, from time to time.”

She again didn't reply for a long moment, just glared at him. “I'll think about it,” she said at last.

He gave her his most relaxed wolfish smile. “Good. I don't want to have to force you into it.”

She scoffed, but when his eyebrow raised at her, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she coughed. “I'll think about it,” she repeated, and headed back into the back.

Warren nodded, headed out the front, and took off for home.

* * * * * * *

“Lisa, I have a question.”

Lisa glanced up at me from her reading. “Yeah?”

I paused a moment before asking, trying to formulate my thoughts into a coherent sentence. “Remember those vials, like the one Emma took? Taylor said she got it from Warren.”

Lisa nodded. “I remember.”

“Have you found anything else out about them?”

“Not really. I haven't done much research.”

I frowned, and looked down at the pad in my hands. “Would... do you want to take a look at this, then?” I held it up to her. She frowned, but reached over, and took it, turning it in her hands to scan over the words across the screen. I went on, “I had KC do some searching for us. She's tireless, and can get through more irrelevant results faster than we can, and can process somewhere in the realm of fifty thousand articles in half a second. Anyway. She picked out these key lines about them. I'm... concerned.”

Lisa's brows drew together, and worry stitched her face. “I... I can see why,” she said after a few long moments.

“Is your power telling you more than what I can read?”

She shrugged. “Difficult to say, really. You're smart, and can draw logical conclusions from things—sometimes my power works in much the same way as that. Other times, it's like a blast of insight.”

I chewed on my bottom lip for a bit. “Those articles say these vials are unknown in origin. That those that get them spend a lot—and I do mean a lot—of money on them. How did Warren get some? What... what is he involved in?”

Lisa sighed. “You're worried your friend is hiding something from you.”

It wasn't a question, it was a blunt statement of fact, exactly what I was worried about. And it was laid out there now. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I nodded. “Yes.”

She watched me for a moment, and I could almost feel her heart break for me. “Oh, love,” she whispered, and pulled me into a hug. “I'm sorry. I can't... I can't tell for certain. He is impossible for me to read. I can't use my power on him. Like, at all. And anything related to him gets into this impossible, head-achy-gray-zone, and it's really frustrating. I'm sorry I can't help you in this.”

I frowned, and stared at my hands, folded in my lap, feeling tears run down my cheeks slowly. “He's hiding things from us. From all of us. Can we continue to trust him?”

“He's put his life on the line for us all many times.”

“He's nearly invincible, you've seen some of the hits he's taken. He can heal himself from anything. I've seen him take a 50-cal sniper round to the chest and fly fifteen seconds later without a mark on him. His powers are ridiculous. Can it really be considered putting his life on the line when he knows he won't, or can't, die for us?”

“Hun, that's a dangerous road to go down. Don't think like that.” She rubbed my shoulders. “He's stood beside you and helped you. Refused to let you travel alone. He's hiding something, sure, but that doesn't mean he doesn't trust you, or doesn't care for us all as his friends. It just means that sometimes, there are things in this world that you can't share with others. That sometimes, in order to protect someone, you don't tell them something.”

I looked up at her. “Lisa... I need you to promise me something. And I've never been more serious about anything in my life.” I turned to her, taking her hands in mine. “Promise me you will never do what you just said. Protect me by lying to me, or hiding something from me. Promise me you will not keep secrets from me. I don't care about the others. Keep secrets from Taylor, Brian, whoever. But not me. I trust you with my life, and I know you trust me. But I can't... can't function knowing you could be keeping something from me, even if you were trying to protect me by doing so. Whatever it is, tell me about it. So we can fix it. Together.”

She smiled. “That's an easy promise to make, Kels. I promise, I will never keep anything from you, even if it is my intention to protect you by doing so.”

I squeezed her hands. “Thank you.”

I let her go back to her other reading, and took my pad back from her, turning it in my hands, staring at the words on the screen before me. In my ear, I heard KC beep.

[Search complete. No results on Cauldron.]

I cursed inwardly. It was a random word that stuck out to me, in a couple of places on the results for the vials. Just innocently used, here and there. But it was enough to have grabbed my attention, and I had had KC run another search for it. But nothing at all coming up?

My searches were being blocked, actively.

Someone was aware of what I was looking into.

I thought quickly, my eyes darting over the pad in my hand again. As much as I hated it, there was only one option really open to me from this point.

I tapped the screen, and brought up my email. I drew a deep breath, and began typing:

_Dragon:_

 

_I know we don't get along. I know you hate me, because of what I know. I would try to say that I'm sorry, that I've thought about what I did and want you to forgive me so we can move on, but the hard, cold truth is that I can't say that because it isn't true. I'm sorry that it happened, and I'm sorry that I did it, but like I told you last time we met, you're as much to blame for what came after as I am._

 

_Now. I know you're busy, but you're also an AI. And as any self-respecting AI, I know you have to be monitoring my communications, even if you can't actively keep an eye on KC directly. I'm sorry about that, but if you can get in, then so could someone else. I can't have my VI compromised when I'm relying on it to help me save others' lives. I hope you'll understand. I'm looping this email through several empty databases in the hope that you'll catch it, and review it._

 

_I need your help. I think there's something large going on behind the scenes. No, I haven't done anything illegal, or hacked anything, or anything like that. I have behaved myself. But there's something that's bothering me and things aren't adding up. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. I need to speak with you. We're on the same side. While I'm sure we can never be friends, hopefully at the very least we can be allies._

 

_Kelsey._

 

I sent the email, and leaned back, eyeing Lisa over my pad. Warren was hiding something from me, and I was going to be damned if I let it hurt me, or anyone I loved.

* * * * * * *

Armsmaster walked quickly down the corridor, his boots clicking on the sharply tiled floors beneath. He swept around a corner, and glanced around the room once, scanning the room for anything out of place. Satisfied that everything was as he left it, he pulled out his chair, and sat, pulling his keyboard up and tapping it to wake the computer. Naturally, as soon as it came up, there was a message waiting from Dragon.

_I just intercepted this message from the girl. She knows we're watching her._

Following, was an email message. He scanned the address and immediately understood what she had done to send it, sending it through a series of auto-forwarding addresses before coming back to herself, to be sure the data was out there, if someone knew where to look for it, but not allowing for anyone inexperienced to pin down the communication. Admirable. He scanned the body of the message, then frowned.

“Do you think she means us?” he typed to her quickly.

He only had to wait a moment before Dragon's reply flashed on his screen.

“No. She already knows about my secret, and has threatened to release it to the public. As far as I am aware, she has only told certain members of the New Wave, and they have not acted on the information. She means something else.”

“What else could she mean? Does she have information on the Endbringers, do you think?”

This time the reply took a few seconds. A few seconds for Dragon was the equivalent of an hour of deep thought for him.

“No, I do not think that is it. But I cannot be sure without meeting her. This is the perfect opportunity for what I was asking you about earlier.”

“You want me to come with one of your suits to meet her. The rest of her group might not be so welcoming, if you remember, when you asked me to help you with her last time.”

“I am sorry for that. My logic was flawed. I have corrected the error.”

“Don't worry about it. I'll be there. Let me know when and where.”

“Is tomorrow too soon for you?”

Armsmaster glanced at the clock. It was already late, but he could arrange for a teleporter, still get some rest, and be there on time. “No. Tomorrow works. I'll go arrange for transportation now. Be in touch?”

“Of course.”

He closed the computer down as he sighed, and leaned back in his chair for a moment, then grabbed his spear and headed out the door.

 


	22. Chapter 22

The day dawned overcast, raining, windy, dreary, and generally completely and utterly miserable. It was immediately a great excuse to snuggle deeper into the blankets, which were warmed by Lisa on one side and Missy on the other, but unfortunately, I had meetings that required my attention, and so I drug myself out of the bed, slowly but surely crawling over Lisa's prone form, which was still snoring softly. I padded into the bathroom, and turned the shower on, sleepily stripping down then hopping in. I shampooed my hair vigorously to wake myself up, then scrubbed off with some bodywash. 

By the time the shower was over, and I stood at the sink, brushing my teeth, I was fully awake. I finished brushing, rinsed with some mouthwash, spat it out, washed the sink a bit, then wrapped a towel around myself as I went and got into my underclothes, then my costume. I went into the main room, and grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the fridge, then hopped in my suit, idly munching on one while getting ready to leave. The suit upgrades I had been working on were now complete. The suit itself was nearly completely silent as ti ran, and the powerup was announced only by a few beeps in my ears as I brought it up. I flipped on the scanners and had KC run a full system analysis, something I hadn't done yet since the upgrades. 

As readouts scrolled past far too quickly for the human eye to read and capture, I powered on the suit's lift system, hovering in the main room as KC opened the windows for me. Then I moved the suit outside, and watched through the viewport as the windows slid back shut. I wasn't sure why, but there was an odd sense of finality to the windows closing behind me. It was like I had left the apartment one way, and would never return the same way again. I paused at the thought, the suit hovering in midair easily and soundlessly, then finally spun it to point towards my destination, and took off. 

The suit responded even more intuitively to my touch now, gliding and cutting through the air easily and quickly, able to move faster and be more maneuverable than it had been before. It was also going to be about 95% harder to dismantle, disable, hack, or break than it had been before. KC's own upgrades had also resulted in upgrades throughout every platform she could touch. What I didn't modify directly, KC did, making everything more efficient than before. It was on the level of becoming my own central hub, my own operations center. It was impressive and slightly terrifying at the same time. I had begun thinking about trying to get a production center built. One where machines of my design built tech of my design under KC's direction to form more suits. Suits that KC would be able to direct in combat. Meaning I would no longer come armed as one possible combatant... but a hundred. Or even a thousand, if I could expand KC's programming again, which realistically was completely and utterly feasible. There was no reason at all that I wouldn't be able to.

I could only imagine, and wonder, what it would be like for any villain that decided to go to war with me then. Thinking they were picking a fight against a girl... and end up fighting an entire army that moved and fought as one, that had a central intelligence that could react within fractions of nanoseconds, without human sentimentality to get in the way of hard decisions, limited only by the hardlines I myself would be responsible for coding. 

Which in turn begged the question—how much power was too much? Just because I would have the potential to create a force that could literally defeat any military force on the entire globe... should I? When would it become too much? Who would have any power to come in and govern, or oversee me at that point in time? What would happen to my own morals when I could literally lift a finger, and take over the planet? 

I shivered slightly at the thought, and turned my focus back on the here and now, as the suit glided into the park where I had agreed to meet with Dragon. There in the center of the park was another of her suits. Larger than this one, more formidable looking, bristling with weapons.

“KC, scan the suit, threat analysis. Just in case. Should be a peaceful day, but... you know what they say.”

[Affirmative. Foreign body contains little to no threat. Most of the weapons are non-lethal. Code imprints suggest restrictive usage.]

“Sounds good. Thanks KC.”

I landed in front of it, and popped the hatch, stepping out easily, the hatch swinging shut behind me. I walked forward, only slightly surprised to see a figure leaning against the side of Dragon's suit straighten and come forwards slightly, carrying an all-too-familiar staff. 

“Armsmaster. I didn't expect to see you here, but hello.”

He nodded, very slightly. “Hello, Twilight. Dragon asked for me to come with her today.”

“Hello, Twilight. I cannot say I'm pleased to speak with you again, but nevertheless, you were very insistent on this meeting. What could you possibly need my help with?” the voice came from a speaker on Armsmaster's wrist. He was probably wearing a camera somewhere on his suit as well, so that Dragon had visual record of the meeting. Not that I minded.

“First, thank you. For coming. I'll get right into it. First, a little backstory. I have been doing some research on some items that were recently brought to my attention. Prior to then, I didn't even know they existed. I've made some promises not to tell too much, but at the same time I want to be as open as possible on this front to get to the bottom of this. 

“Now, when I first became aware of these items, was when we used one. These items are small vials of a weird... liquid. I didn't get a chance to do any scans or tests on the contents of the vials themselves, which in hindsight, is extremely foolhardy and ridiculous. But when the subject ingested the contents of the vial, she gained powers. She became like us—a cape. I'm not going to tell you who it was, so please don't even guess. That is neither here nor there, and frankly, how we get our powers is not nearly as important as how our powers are used, and so far she has done absolutely nothing illegal or dangerous with hers. She should be left alone. None of this is her fault.”

“Let me interrupt you for a moment,” Armsmaster said, raising a hand. “You have—or had—in your possession an item that granted whoever ingested it powers, and you gave it to a girl without ever consulting the PRT?”

I shook my head. “Again, neither here nor there. My concern is not the vial being used, as I firmly believe the usage we put it to was both responsible and logical. My concern is the origin of the vial. Where did it come from? How many others are out there? What would happen if a villain got their hands on several cases? Could they literally create their own army? And most importantly, who is creating these, and how? I've been trying to find something, anything, out about them. I've been running intense searches—”

“For terms such as 'Cauldron' and the like, yes. As you properly surmised when you wrote that message to me, I have been monitoring your actions, to ensure that you were sincere in what you are doing.”

I scoffed. “You're kidding me, right? 'Ensure' away, Dragon. I was the one that stopped the plague that Bonesaw unleashed on the world, and I was in the front line on the fight against Leviathan. I put a stop to the Travelers, E88, ABB... you name it, here in Brockton Bay. We have one of the safest cities in the US and I'm at the center of all the reasons as to why that is. Me and my group. So don't for one second ever doubt my sincerity. If you want, we can be honest about it. You're monitoring me because you're afraid of me. You're afraid that any day now I'll go 'rogue' and announce to everyone who you are. If you hadn't noticed by now, I still haven't done that. So please stop being afraid of me, and put the past behind us.”

“This is irrelevant. I am not here to listen to you two drag up a conflict several years old, nor am I some type of mediator.”

“Be that as it may,” I said quickly, “it is a valid point of contest that is preventing us from being able to work together for this.”

“She's right. I have my lingering doubts and reservations about you, Twilight, but for the moment, I will put them all aside and hear the rest of your concerns.”

I nodded. That was probably about as good as it was ever going to get. “Thanks. So, getting back on track: running searches, trying to find anything I can about the source of these vials. However, I have been blocked on almost every front. And I've looked at the code, and it's not yours, Dragon. So what is blocking me?”

Armsmaster shifted, but it was Dragon that answered. “I don't know.”

I waited a few seconds for more, but when nothing else was forthcoming, I pursed my lips. “Hmm.” I hadn't expected such a short answer, and it totally threw me off my entire game. I had no idea what to do next. “I... okay. You don't know. So. What can we do about it?”

“My advice? Let it drop,” Armsmaster said gruffly. “There are things that are blocked outside of the PRT, and there's probably good reason for it. You have to have trust in the system.”

“This isn't PRT,” I said, shaking my head. “I have access to the internal networks of the PRT.” Armsmaster visibly stiffened. “Speaking of which, the Tinker library is really something else... but, staying on track here, I've tried using as high a clearance rank as the Director for the PRT and I'm still being blocked. I get what you're saying and I understand it, but here... Dragon, you have Director clearance. Run your searches. Hit the blocks, investigate the code yourself.” I paused a few seconds, letting her begin that. “There's something else too. The big capes, you know... Alexandria, Eidolon, Legend? I've seen all of their names come up in conspiracy theories with Cauldron. There's something else out there. Something big, and it's hiding right in plain sight, somehow. We need to know more. I need to know more. They're manufacturing capes. They're building us—do you understand how terrifying this is? What for? And how do they do it? I've looked into buying a vial—it takes extensive background checks to even be approved for a meeting. I'd never pass and anyone I had contact with now won't be either, and even if I funded the purchase, I'm sure they would have the means to trace the cash back to me, and still decline the sale. They know I'm on to their tail now, and it's honestly very concerning.”

“I see what you mean,” Dragon said after I lapsed into silence. “There's not much I can do from here, Twilight. I am sorry, but I will need time to evaluate what I can, and conduct my own investigation. Is there anything else on this you wish to share with us?” 

I nodded. “One last thing. I promised not to tell anyone this but... it's not a promise I think I can keep. There's... something going on within my group. Warren is my friend, has been for a long time, but there's something a little off going on. He has access to these vials. I need your input, both of yours, on what you think would happen if I were to ingest one of these vials while already having powers.”

Armsmaster took a half step forward before catching himself. “The wolf?” he growled. I flinched a little, remembering that the last time the two of them had met, Morkulv had trashed Armsmaster, in perhaps the most humiliating defeat of the hero's career. “Is he acting outside of regulations?”

“No, no,” I said quickly, waving a hand. “He's good, behaving himself as he is supposed to. What I'm concerned about is what he won't, or can't tell me. I ask him questions sometimes and he says he physically cannot respond—that can't be normal. I need a way through that. So, going back to the vial thing, what do you think will happen?”

“Most likely? You'll die,” Armsmaster said bluntly.

“Second trigger events do happen, from time to time. A hero or villain, undergoing a certain amount of stress, can trigger again, which will awaken new powers not previously held by the individual. Typically speaking, these are an expansion of their previous abilities. My thoughts on what would happen to you, if you were to ingest a vial? Most likely death,” Dragon spoke from the speaker, and I felt my spirits fall. 

“What if it's my only option?”

“I fail to see any circumstance in which that would even be an option,” Armsmaster growled. “Speak to your friend yourself, that's your problem, not ours. As for the rest, we'll speak and run our own investigations into your claims. We'll let you know if there's anything further we need to speak to you on.”

I nodded. “Fair enough. Thank you both for coming.”

They didn't reply, simply turning away. The suit powered up, and shot away within seconds, with Armsmaster close behind, his staff carrying him along from where it was connected to the suit. I watched them go for a long moment, then went back to my suit, hopped in, and sealed the hatch, sitting in solid silence for few long minutes. 

Neither had seemed overly concerned about the possibility of an organization out there beyond the reach of their precious PRT that was manufacturing capes. But then again, perhaps they were dismissing it as an attempt from a “untrustworthy source” to sow dissent into the ranks of the PRT. I hadn't considered that option before, but the realization of it made my stomach sink. If they did, I would have lost any possible allies within the high-ranks of the PRT once they spread word of the “attempt” throughout their internal communications. I bit my lip, thinking quickly. I wasn't paranoid, I was sure of it. My findings were backed in statistical facts and concrete proof. I had done my share of conspiracy theory reading and while those had been clearly over the top, stringing distant points together with silly string to make a feasible justification.

I ran my fingers over the console, and my suit took off, spinning lazily in the air. It was beginning to rain, small spatters of drops falling across the viewport. The clouds were thick, heavy with moisture. Today was going to be a very wet day. I slowly crept over the city, watching the cars run below, people under their umbrellas moving quickly from point A to point B. The rain began to come down in earnest, and I slid through the air a little faster, heading back to the apartment tower. About halfway there, my earpiece beeped. 

“Twilight?” It was Lisa's voice. 

“Hey. What's up?”

“Meet us at PRT headquarters, now. Emergency.”

“Affirmative.”

I spun the suit on a dime, and rocketed to the new destination, arriving in less than three minutes, landing carefully on the yard behind the assembled cluster of the rest of the New Wave. A little to my surprise, everyone was in full costume. I popped the hatch, hopped out, and resealed it behind me, telling KC to take it to standby mode, just in case. It remained powered up, ready to spring the hatch open at a second's notice. 

Selkie, Skitter, and Vista were all standing at the back of the group. I slipped next to them, sliding my hand into Vista's, giving it a squeeze. “Hey. What's going on?”

Skitter turned and looked at me. “Slaughterhouse 9 are here. In Brockton. They did something... unusual.”

My heart hammered and skipped a beat all together. They were here. They were coming for us. They were made at me, mad at us, and come for their vengeance. I dimly realized Vista's hand was squeezing mine just as hard as I was hers. “Un...usual?” I managed to ask.

Selkie nodded. She looked a little paler than usual, I noted. “They called for a meeting here. They called a truce for it. They want to speak to the PRT, Wards, and us all together.”

“Wait... the Slaughterhouse 9... the most prolific killers in history, are going to walk right in here, like nothing, and we're just going to have a chat?” I asked, incredulous.

“So it seems,” Tattletale answered me, coming up behind me, and putting a hand on my shoulder. “You're tense. Relax. It'll be okay.”

I turned to her. “You know why they're here.”

She bit her lip. “I'm trying not to think of it.”

“There's no point in not thinking about it. They're here to show that they can't be bested by a girl. They're here for me.”

“And me,” Morkulv growled. “Don't forget, I helped you.” I nodded at him. “And Panacea. So they'll want the three of us. We defeated their most advanced attack on the entire world. They're not going to let that pass.”

I looked up at Tattle. “When are they coming?”

She looked around. “Any time now. Everyone else is gathered.”

“Tattle...” I begun, but my voice gave out.

“Shh. We'll figure it out. We'll get through it. We'll be okay.”

I stared at her, hopeful. Fearful. I looked to Morkulv. He was watching me closely. My most recent meeting danced through my mind. If the S9 were here, time was running short, limiting options. “I need to talk to you, after,” I said, and he nodded. 

“Okay.”

A car rolled up. Nondescript, average... but the doors opened, and it was anything but that got out.

Each and everyone of them were immediately identifiable, even without my visor pulling up profiles next to their faces. From the drivers seat stepped Jack, smiling, looking about the gathering with a little half-smirk, half-smile that seemed somehow arrogant on his features. From the passenger seat, Siberian. Intimidating in the exaggerated slowness of its movements. I turned my eyes away from that figure, feeling uneasy. From the backseat, a girl, a little older than me, wearing a wide array of surgical instruments and a belt laden with tools, secured with a strap going over her shoulder. Bonesaw. She looked right at me immediately, and smiled so broadly, I was sure I would vomit right then and there. Fear and nerves were rolling through me in waves so intense I wasn't sure I could contain them. Vista's hand held mine like a vice, my one link back to reality, and suddenly, through that, I grounded myself. 

Resolve and determination replaced the fear and anxiety in half a second, and my back straightened, and I met Bonesaw's gaze evenly, even allowing a little smirk to touch my features. I had beat her before. I would beat her again. Her smile faltered, ever so slightly, and she looked away. 

“Hello, all. Thank you for coming,” Jack was saying, stepping around to the front of the car, lounging against it, idly twirling one of his many knives through his fingers. A very subtle threat to everyone present that he could cut down any one of us before any of us could react. 

“We're here, Jack. Say your piece,” Miss Militia stated, taking front and center for our side. 

Jack glanced at her, then dismissed her, looking over the rest of the gathering. “Leader of the local PRT, meh. Not who I want to talk to. Let's speak to the true powers here in Brockton. New Wave.” His eyes ran over me, the rest of the girls, Glory Girl, Panacea. 

Glory Girl stepped forward, taking point for all of us. “What do you want?” she demanded, sounding far more confident than I had expected her to.

Jack smiled. “We're here to play a game.”

“A game,” she repeated dully.

He nodded. “But of course.” He paused for a moment, then straightened and walked towards us. “We're here for new recruits. Some of your members have... stood out, recently. Simply put, we're going to offer them a place here, with us. One of our more recent acquisitions overused her welcome. We have an opening.” He paused again, and his eyes rested on me for a long moment. “Or two.”

“None of us are going to join your little club,” Glory Girl retorted. 

“They will, when faced with the alternatives,” he said confidently.

“What makes you think that?”

“Shush now, you're trying my patience,” Jack warned. Glory Girl wisely listened, and didn't retort again, instead letting him go on. “Siberian, who do you nominate for the group?”

Siberian didn't speak, just stepped forward, and lifted a hand, pointing at our group. At Morkulv.

“Ah. Morkulv. A dark wolf. Fitting.”

I shivered.

“Bonesaw?”

She grinned as she walked forward, apparently unconcerned that she was surrounding herself by enemies by walking directly up to me. She glanced at my hand, held by Vista, and grabbed that wrist, forcing us to let go, and raised my hand above our heads, bringing us face to face. “You're cute,” she said softly, just to me. “I can make you prettier. I can make you funner. Together, we'd be unstoppable. I hope you survive. I want to work with you.”

I stared back into her eyes, her mad, insane eyes. “Like hell,” I whispered back.

She let my hand drop, patted my cheek, and walked back to the car. 

“Twilight. Saw that one coming. She's been quite obsessed with you, you know. Since San Francisco. I look forward to your trials,” Jack said, with a grin. 

I returned his look evenly. His grin grew.

“And I nominate....” he paused for dramatic effect, then pointed at Panacea. “Her.”

Panacea shook her head, and tried to disappear behind her family, who moved like a protective shield in front of her. I heard Morkulv growl slightly as well, and saw his fists clench. “Easy,” I whispered. “Don't do anything rash. Jack can kill anyone he wants in a flash, and they're not all here—the others must be watching, waiting for us to try something.”

“Usually, each of our members nominates someone, however, we're doing something a little different this time, focusing on a smaller group. Mannequin, of course, wouldn't allow us to not communicate his nomination as well, and he nominated Skitter.” Attention turned to her, and she tensed as she straightened. “He sees great potential in you, girl. Be honored. So, here's what will happen. We are going to take our nominees, one at a time, and give them certain trials. If they fail, they're going to die. If they pass, then they'll be given a choice. Join us, or watch all of their loved ones die. So here, friends, is why we called this meeting. If you interfere in the trials, if you help the nominees, you're putting yourselves on the list of those that we will kill if they pass. That is, of course, assuming you survive your rescue attempts, or whatever it is you come up with. If you let the trials pass without incident, and we have more than one pass the trials, well... like I said. We may accept two members. Any more than that... and they will be forced to kill one another.” He looked around the crowd of capes gathered. “If you continue to respect these terms, once we are done, we will leave. Not one other person within your city will suffer. Not one person will bleed. However, if you continually break the rules, your city will suffer. The plague Bonesaw released a while back? A mere prototype to the real thing. And we will make Brockton Bay ground zero. Am I absolutely clear?”

“You expect us to stand by, sit on our hands, while you torture our friends?” Glory Girl demanded.

“Yes. I do. Because if you don't, you will die. Your families will die. Fighting for you will not end well. Do not try it.”

I swallowed hard. “Who... who's first?” I asked.

Siberian, Jack, and Bonesaw all looked directly at me. “I'm glad you asked, little one,” Jack said, with a grin.

“You are!” Bonesaw laughed. “Come here. Now.”

No one moved, or even dared breathe for a long moment. Tattle was the first to break it, placing her hand on my shoulder again, pulling me back as she moved forward, pulling me against her chest. “No,” she said softly. 

I saw the knife spinning idly through Jack's fingers, his eyes locked on Tattle's smooth mouth and throat. I saw Siberian tense, hands clenching into fists, muscles bulging... Bonesaw smiled eerily, one hand cocked on her hip, thrust to the side in a miniature pose. I swallowed, my mouth dry. I knew right then and there if I didn't go with them, people would die. Sure, it was possible, in the end that Jack, and perhaps Bonesaw as well, would be dead and gone, but at what cost? Nothing before in the history of the S9 had anyone ever found anything that even slowed Siberian down. And with Jack's powers, he could take out a couple, if not more... and if they weren't lying about the plague, and making Brockton Bay ground zero...

For the first time in what felt like years, my family—my real family—flickered through my mind. Helpless, ordinary, average people. They would be dead if the plague came out here. They would be wiped away. My father's struggling little business would disappear, my childhood home wrecked, desolate. 

The S9 had wrapped a neat little noose around the neck of everyone present. If we didn't comply, the city itself was forfeit. We knew it, and they knew it. They were the only group with the ability to cause destruction on a wide scale, and be able to make these demands of the concentrated strength of the New Wave and PRT. Of course, I knew as soon as I was gone with them, the PRT would call in the higher-ups, and they would sit and talk, and realize the same things I just had. We had no options. Until we made some for ourselves. 

And of course, S9 knew that as well. So they started by slowing us down—putting me through my tests first, taking away one of New Wave's greatest weapons. The weapon that had stopped the plague before. The weapon that rivaled their own. They hampered New Wave's ability to move and plan, while carrying out their plans. It was genius and terrifying all at once. 

“I'll do it,” I said softly, gently pulling away from Tattle. Her fingers scraped across my costume, unwilling to let me go. 

“No!” she hissed. 

I looked to Jack. “I'll go with you. May I have a moment?”

Jack smiled. “A moment. No more.”

I turned to Tattle quickly. “KC is encoded to answer you in my absence. You know the subroutines. Take my suit home. It'll fly itself, don't worry about that. I'll be back. I promise. Don't worry about me. Talk to the others. Think. I believe in you.”

Tattle couldn't even speak as Siberian walked over, and plucked me off the ground like I weighed nothing. To Siberian, honestly, I probably didn't. Tossed over a shoulder like baggage, I watched and held Lisa's eyes until Siberian thrust me into the car, Bonesaw hopping in on the other side. As the door closed, I noticed the windows were blacked out from inside. I turned to see Bonesaw smiling eerily at me. 

“This is so great. I can't wait. You'll see. We'll do some simply amazing things. I like your costume. Did you make it yourself?” she reached up and plucked my visor off before I could blink. I barely had time to rub my fingers together, sending the wireless signal to KC, shutting the visor down completely just before Bonesaw popped it on her own head. “Hmm. That's disappointing. Just for looks? I figured a Tinker like you... oh. Wait. You disabled it already, didn't you? Smart. You're smart. Don't wanna share. I get it. But you will, eventually. Want to share, I mean. With me. We'll be like sisters!” she leaned over and hugged me. I could barely restrain from flinching, or lashing out. “Or even better, maybe we'll be lovers,” she whispered. “I saw how you looked at Tattle. And Vista, holding hands. You like girls.” She giggled. “Me too. Girls are cute. You're cute, did you know? I like your hair. And your eyes. So pretty!”

I felt sick. My eyes... the one thing Tattle always mentioned... tainted by Bonesaw.

“I bet the rest of her is just as cute. Jack, do you want to see?”

“Not now,” he waved his fingers. “I'll see later. Make sure you keep your hands to yourselves, back there. You know the rules. You're not first.”

Bonesaw pouted. “I wanna be first. I should get to be first. She's mine.”

“She is not yours,” Jack admonished, and sounded for all the world like a father scolding his daughter. “We've been over this. You nominated her. It's up to the rest of us to test her first, those that want to.”

“Those that want to?” I echoed, speaking for the first time.

Jack chuckled just a little. “Oh yes. The trials, by the way, aren't absolutely necessary. We can, if we so choose, opt to pass. But honestly, where is the fun in that?”

I licked my lips, and swallowed hard. “What... what kind of trials can I expect to face?”

“Shh! No telling!” Bonesaw said to Jack quickly. “That spoils all of the fun. You're not to know, until it comes! I've got a great one thought up. It's not entirely... right... yet. It's missing a little something, but I'm sure I'll get it by the time it's my turn.”

“Yes, I'm sure you will. You have yet to disappoint,” Jack said. Again, he sounded all too like a father with a beloved daughter. I repressed a little shiver.

“Are we there yet?” I want to unwrap her,” Bonesaw chirped. 

Ice shot down my spine. “Un...wrap... me?”

She giggled. “Oh yes. Peel that costume off, see what you look like under it. Jack wants to see too, I bet.”

Jack's eyes lifted, and met mine in the rear-view mirror. “Oh yes. I'm sure she has many delights under that suit of hers. You'll be facing my trial first, as soon as we arrive,” he informed me. 

I shivered and crossed my arms.

All too soon, the car was rolling to a stop, and Bonesaw was rambling about it being time, and hopped across my lap to open my door, then pulled me out, pushing and pulling me through a dark parking garage to a little elevator. Once inside, she pushed me up against Jack, who merely put an arm around my shoulders, and held me against him as the elevator rose. When it stopped, we stepped out into a lushly furnished condo. The windows were all covered with mirrors, creating an odd echoing view of the room, making it look deeper and wider than it was. It was furnished and carpeted in deep shades of red, with grey paint on the walls. While modern and utilitarian, it was also...

Primal. Unnerving. 

Terrifying.

I shivered as Jack maneuvered me to stand in front of him, his hands on my shoulders, facing one of the window-mirrors, so I could see him over my shoulders. My hair was in slight disarray, but I wasn't concerned about that. I was, however, concerned with the way Bonesaw was moving in circles around me, ducking under Jack's arms, pulling my costume off in pieces, and setting each piece aside carefully. It took me a few moments to realize why. One, she was afraid of Tinker-related boobytraps, and two, they were searching me for any weapons. When she peeled my body suit off my upper torso, leaving me bare from the waist up, I sheepishly crossed my arms, covering my small breasts. 

Bonesaw watched, and smirked. “Do you want em bigger? I can make em bigger. Or smaller. Or I could remove them. No nipples! How neat would that look. I could do the belly button too, if you want. Smooth torso. Wouldn't that be neat? Heh. Would you like that Jack?”

“Shh,” he gently shushed the hyper girl. “No modifications. Yet. If she wants some, after everything, then we'll see.”

Bonesaw pouted a moment, then grinned again. “Can I take the rest off of her now?”

Jack nodded, and she crouched in front of me, pulling my body suit down my hips. She grabbed a calf, lifting one leg, and worked it off that leg, then switched, and pulled it off the other, leaving me fully naked in front of them. I shivered, and squeezed my eyes shut. 

“My trial,” Jack whispered in my ear, and I jumped slightly, not realizing he was right there, “is for you to make me cum.”

I turned to look at him, eyes opening wide. “What?”

“I'm going to rape you. I am going to take you however I want, while Bonesaw watches. And anytime that it looks like you're getting too... into it, shall we say, she's going to give you a little shot of her special mixture. This mixture, in case you're curious, is going to completely, and utterly, kill your drive for sex. You'll see how. Now. The thing here is, ironically, while I can enjoy the act of taking a girl against her will, it'll never get me off. You have to be into it, to make me cum. So get into it.”

“But she'll give me the... thing...” I protested, looking at Bonesaw, who was flourishing a rather wicked looking injector and syringe. I did not want to find out what was in it.

Jack smiled. “Exactly. So you're going to have to either learn to ignore it, or overcome it. One way or the other. Now, Bonesaw. Your rules. You can only give her enough to last about 30 minutes each time. And only two shots per hour. Understood?”

Bonesaw nodded, and waved the syringe at me. “Can I start with one?”

“Is she wet?” he asked.

Bonesaw crudely thrust a hand between my legs, making me yelp as her fingers dug into my lips, parting them and sliding a little into me. I was not wet. Not even a little bit. 

“Nope,” Bonesaw reported, then paused. “I could make her that way if you want, get it started... then give her the shot for you. Since you don't like dry girls.”

Jack smiled. “That sounds like a good idea. Let's move to the main room.”

He grabbed my shoulder, and pushed me ahead of him, steering me into a room with a huge half-circle couch. He took me behind the couch, then bent me over the back of it, nearly folding me in two as he pushed my face into the cushions. I knew this put my bottom on full display for the two of them, and felt my face flaming red... a thought and feeling almost instantly wiped from my mind as Bonesaw slid her slender fingers back along my pussy. I could tell, from the angle, she was kneeling behind me, looking straight at my sex, and her fingers worked my lips open like magic, twirling and touching and rubbing...

Before I knew it, I was gasping as she slid a finger into my tight little passage, coaxing me, against my will, to get wetter and wetter... when her tongue tickled my thigh, and up to my clit, I had to bite lip to contain a little moan, and her finger was sliding in and out of me easily, smoothly...

Then I cried out as a sharp pain pierced my thigh, and I remembered the syringe, and shivered.

And nearly immediately, felt horrible, hideous cramps wracking my thighs and stomach, folding me even more over the back of the couch as I cried out again in pure agony. It was like a thousand knots formed in every muscle from the middle of my back down to my feet, pulling and twitching, filled with horrible spasms and random twitches that pulled my legs apart and slammed them together. I screamed again, once I was able to gasp in enough air to do so, and Bonesaw giggled, moving around in front of me, lifting my chin, watching my face as tears rolled from my eyes at the horrendous pain. 

In some part of my pain-addled mind, I realized that somehow, through this pain, I was supposed to have sex. Were they kidding? This... this was a terrible joke. I couldn't even focus for a single second on any one particular part of my body, pain was rolling through me so horrifically. But I did feel Jack's legs brush against the back of my thighs, then the rounded head of a very large, and very erect cock tracing my sex...

Another flurry of cramps swept through me, and I screamed again, losing all track of everything else as the intense pain rolled through. When it faded just a touch, I felt his cock still rubbing against my lips, his hands on my bottom, squeezing and rolling my cheeks. 

In another situation, with other people, I could find myself loving the position I was in. Bent over, getting fucked... I shivered, however, at the real scenario that surrounded me. I hated it. Here I was, about to get fucked by Jack, my trial was to make him cum, to make us both enjoy it. And Bonesaw less than three inches from my face, waving her syringe about and giggling as she stroked my face.

Jack's cock nudged into me, then he pushed forward, his legs slapping against the backs of my thighs, and despite everything, I moaned. Bonesaw had me aroused enough that when he slid inside, I was still wet, still aroused for that feeling to briefly surge back to the top. 

Just in time for another wave of crippling agony to roll through me, reducing me to a panting, gasping mess, twitching uncontrollably. Jack began leisurely stroking his cock in and out of my tight little pussy, and I tried to focus on it, solely on the cock within me, ignoring and shutting out everything else. Shutting out Bonesaw, right in my face, her fingers on my cheek, sliding into my mouth to mimic Jack's cock's movements and prod at my tongue on occasion. Shutting out the waves of pain and agony from my stomach and legs, gripping the cushions on the couch in a pure deathgrip as I tried as hard as I possibly could to roll my hips, to rub myself against that cock. Shutting out the fact that it was Jack's cock in me, and not someone I cared for. Someone like Warren, or Brian, or Alec, or even someone from New Wave or the Wards or.... anyone but him.

He squeezed my bottom cheeks in his hands in time with another crippling wave of pain, that even knotted the muscles in said cheeks, so they twitched and spasmed in his hands. I screamed, unable to hold it back as he kneaded the sore, spastic muscles, and pushed his cock all the way inside of me again. “Can't really feel that you like it. Is it getting a little dry down here?” he mused to himself.

I wanted to cry. I couldn't help it—pain was not arousing and experiencing so much of it was overwhelming all of my other senses to the point I couldn't focus. I tried to relax, feel the cock, focus on the pleasure...

But there wasn't any to focus on. He dryly slid his cock in and out, in and out, without passion, without energy, just a mechanical being doing its job.

This went on for what felt like a year. Just as the cramps were beginning to ease in their intensity, I found myself able to move a little more, and began to roll my hips with each of his thrusts. I felt my own sex becoming wet again, easing his movement. And as that happened, I noticed he gripped my hips a little tighter, fucking a little faster, his eyes now gazing down, locked on the site of his cock plundering my small body over and over...

Then I shook as another piercing pain hit my shoulder. I glanced over at Bonesaw, and wanted to scream in frustration as the cramps and pain returned as strongly as ever, crashing through me, burning through my mind and body with full and complete control.

Over and over again this happened, two, three, then four more times. The entire time Jack mechanically fucked away. As the pain lessened, I started to get into it, but never had enough time to make him cum before being reduced to a twitching, pain-ridden fuckdoll that he used routinely, the passion gone from his movements.

After the fourth, however, I noticed a change beginning to roll through me. Instead of rejecting the next wave of pain, I felt myself looking forward to it. It was a change from the boring fucking I was receiving. The hard tool in my pussy which did nothing. The pain however... I shivered as another wave rolled over me, and realized, somehow, I was beginning to embrace it. And as I became aware of it, it was happening faster and faster. I fully embraced the next wave, pushing my hips back into it, causing Jack to grunt in surprise as I hit his groin hard, our flesh colliding with a sharp slap. Bonesaw checked her watch with a frown, then suddenly smiled. Jack's hands squeezed my backside sharply, causing even more radiating pinpricks of pain sliding straight down... 

To my clit. I cried out and moaned as he shoved himself back into me, feeling a fresh, new surge of my wetness and juices slide out around his invading cock, coating my thighs as I began to pant and moan, shoving myself back into him harder and harder, and he began to loose it, leaning his head back as he fucked me faster, squeezing my hips.

I came first, as a new crashing wave of pain and cramps slammed through me. I cried out and bit down hard on the couch cushions. Bonesaw, I saw, had one hand stuffed down the front of her pants, and was rubbing herself viciously now. Jack slammed his hips hard into my clenching, tight pussy, and I felt his cum rocket into my body, blasting my insides with a warmth that swelled around his length and flowed down my thighs as well. He sagged over my back for a moment, while I laid there, shivering and twitching in the waves of pain that still rolled over me.

“Well done,” he whispered in my ear, then bit, hard enough to make me whimper. “Let's go for round two, eh?” he eyed Bonesaw, then beckoned her forward. “And let's make it a little more challenging, shall we?” he took the syringe from her, and I barely registered him giving me another injection of the pain-inducing substance. I shivered as fresh, new waves crashed through me. Then looked down, at Bonesaw's bare pussy, mere inches from my face. “Make us both cum,” he growled, and pushed my face into her sex, and his cock twitched as he pulled back, then thrust back into me hard, making me moan into her sex. “Faster, this time.”


	23. Chapter 23

“We can't sit and do nothing, they have her!” Tattletale slammed her fist down on the table, with surprising force, making the entire table rattle. Morkulv clenched his fists in his trenchcoat pockets. While he agreed completely with what she said, he also noticed the distinct lack of responses from the PRT side of the table. 

Vista was sitting next to Tattle, and beneath her mask, her cheeks were wet with her tears. She hadn't stopped crying since Twilight had been taken, and only by pure determination was Tattle even still on her feet. Selkie rubbed Vista's back comfortingly, and he saw Kid Win watching her with conflicting emotions dancing across his face. 

“Calm down. Your impatience and anger are unbecoming,” Miss Militia snapped at Tattle. “You heard their terms. If we act, if we do anything, thousands of innocent people will die.”

“Then we counter that! We do what we're supposed to do. We act like heroes. Or have you forgotten what that means? I can tell you this much. It does not mean that we sit here idly and wait. It means that we fight. We fight to protect our own, and those that cannot protect themselves. We stop the S9, and with any fucking luck at all, we kill them all.” Tattle looked around the table. “You can't honestly tell me your honest-to-god plan is to sit here and do nothing at all.”

“Our plan is to come up with a plan to do what you're proposing in the proper way,” Miss Militia retorted. “Or, do you think we would be successful just sprinting into the streets and running headlong into battle with a prepared and ready S9?”

“Could have fooled me,” Tattle growled. “We've been here eight hours. Eight. Fucking. Hours. And you haven't come up with anything more than 'wait to see what happens with Twilight.' Like you're giving up on her. Throwing her away to see what we CAN do. That's not fucking good enough. She has fought for each and every one of us here. She saved the goddamn world. She deserves better than her friends and family turning their back on her.”

“We are not turning our backs,” Miss Militia said, holding up one hand. “We just can't run into battle not knowing what their plan is.”

“YOU FUCKING KNOW THEIR PLAN!” Tattle exploded, screaming at the entire gathering. “They laid it out for us! For all of us! We were all there. We know their rules. I've outlined several ideas of how to get around them, and you fucking sit here, on your fucking thumbs!”

“That is enough!” Miss Militia snapped. “If you can't conduct yourself like an adult—”

“She speaks for all of us,” Glory Girl stood, and next to her, Panacea. Then the rest of New Wave, rising as one with the Undersiders, until they were all standing at their end of the table. “We are not bound by your PRT regulations. We want to keep you as allies and friends, but if you will not fight the S9...” she let the unspoken threat hang in the air.

Bitch snorted after several seconds. “Fuck these creeps. Let's go get our girl back.” She turned and started walking away. Skitter, Grue, Regent all fell into step with her, but one voice stopped them and they turned to see who spoke.

“Wait. Vista. You're going with them?” Kid Win looked at her intently.

Vista looked back at him, and gave him a single, firm nod. “I officially renounce my Wards membership,” she said. Her voice was surprisingly firm. “I know I was originally assigned, for lack of a better term, as a spy to ensure the Undersiders' motives were pure. But they've been more like my family than anyone else here ever has.”

“You're a part of us, part of the team,” Tattle said fiercely, and took her hand. 

“Then I'm going with you. Against wishes if I have to.” He looked to Miss Militia, and they had a brief, intense staredown. At the end, Miss Militia gave him a slight shake of her head, indicating he was not breaking regulation, and acting with consent. He came around the table, and stood with the others. 

“We'll be in the streets. If any of you change your minds, or come up with your plans... you know how and where to find us, and I promise, we'll be glad of the support,” Glory Girl said, and they walked from the room. 

As a group, they moved outside, and Morkulv drew a deep breath, reaching inside and feeling his powers, drawing on them to strengthen himself, washing away his fatigue from the day, and gently laid a hand on every person present, doing the same for each of them. Washing away their fatigue, curing their need for rest, essentially.

“Gameplan?” Glory Girl asked Tattle.

“Like I outlined to them in there. We need a couple people in the air to find and locate mobile threats. We can't assume that Bonesaw is the only one with the ability to deploy her plague. She'll have weaponized it somehow, taught the others how to trigger it. We need to try to capture at least one member alive. They'll be immune to the plague. Bonesaw will have ensured that. We need to figure out how, what makes them immune, so if it does get out we can contain it here and now. Morkulv, we'll need you and Glory Girl working together against Siberian. You might not be able to beat her, but I'm sure you can at least stagger her.”

Morkulv growled. He knew Siberian's weakness. “I want Skitter with me.” He glanced at Glory Girl. “No offense, but you will do better in the air, against Shatterbird.”

Glory Girl nodded. “Understood. Makes sense.”

Skitter moved to his side. “I'm in.”

Tattle went on, “Okay, so Glory Girl, you, Flashbang, Shielder, Laserdream, and Lady Photon will work together against Shatterbird and Mannequin, if they appear. Grue, myself, and Selkie will take on Jack and Bonesaw, and focus on extraction. Vista, Regent, Bitch, focus on Crawler and provide support if called for by anyone else. Priorities are containment and retribution prevention, along with asset recovery.”

Asset recovery. Recovering Twilight. Morkulv could appreciate the fact that she was distancing herself emotionally, while trying to remain tactical. He could see the strain in every fiber of her body and knew she was worried beyond all comprehension.

“Any questions?”

The assembled group shook their head. 

“I'm going in Twilight's suit. Hopefully KC will help me.”

She jumped suddenly, then smiled. “Apparently, she will. Sorry, not used to her VI talking to me yet.”

The others nodded, and prepared to spread out. Skitter moved closer to Morkulv. “What's our plan against Siberian?” she asked softly. 

He looked at her for a moment. “Draw him out and after us. I'll handle most of the direct fighting, your bugs won't do much against him.”

She nodded. “I know. That's why I'm a little confused as to why you wanted me with you.”

He hesitated. He didn't know about Siberian's projection while knowing about it. How could he tell her what to look for? “Watch the surrounding area while we fight. Anyone moving within it, that kind of thing. Warn innocents to get away. If you notice something unusual, warn me. I don't want another of the 9 sneaking up on me.”

She nodded. “That I can do.”

Immediately she began gathering her swarms of bugs, swirling in a mass high overhead. 

“I'll carry you in, if that's okay,” he said, and she nodded, holding her arms up. He scooped her up, and took off, flying slow enough to not overwhelm her as they flew over the city. 

“It's a good thing Twilight put the cameras in our suits,” Tattle said over their earpiece. “GPS locating the cameras is quite easy.” 

It appeared the S9 had holed up not far away. Flying overhead, Morkulv spotted a good vantage point to put Skitter on, and dropped her off, then hovered nearby, watching for Siberian. 

Bitch grew her dogs outside the main building, and as she got ready, silence seemed to fall over the group. “Ready?” Tattle asked, and he watched her, in Twilight's suit, fly down low over the building, preparing to drop the suit into position, the cannons swinging about to lock onto targets already. 

“Affirmative,” Morkulv confirmed, and just then the front of the building seemed to explode as Siberian leapt through it, hurtling towards one of Bitch's dogs. 

“GO!” Tattle called. The suit dropped, the cannons tearing through the side of the building in blinding bright flashes. Grue washed the street with darkness and sprinted into the building even Morkulv shot like an arrow down into it. He smashed into the street, shattering the asphalt, and slid across it until one of the dogs smashed into him, thrown by Siberian. 

“Grue, I need to see,” he growled. The darkness lifted at once, and Vista stepped in, warping him right next to Siberian, and Siberian away from the next dog, just before a killing blow landed. Morkulv stood up straight as Siberian turned to face him, her strangle, emotionless face looking into his...

Then he smashed her between the eyes with all the force he could possibly muster. 

Siberian didn't so much as flinch, and slammed her hand into his chest, hurling him backwards, into the building on the other side of the intersection. He rolled through the debris, forming his black armor to angle off the larger pieces, and shot back out, crashing into her, slamming her down into the ground with sheer bodily force.

They bounced off the street, and he pushed her down, kicking downwards with all his strength. The street cracked and broke beneath Siberian as she was pushed into the asphalt, then as she swung her hand at him, claws extended, he raised an arm, wrapped in layered black armor. The claws crashed through most of the layers, but a few held, and he he threw her arm open wide as he punched her hard in the stomach with the other arm. She grabbed his wrist, and hurled him over her head. He twisted in the air, and landed on his feet, controlling the speed of his own descent, swinging his hands together, a long black mace materializing in his grip mere moments before it slammed into the side of Siberian's head, rolling her into a parked car. 

Above, Tattle, in the suit, laid waste to most of the rest of the apartment building, which was now belching smoke and flames. Out of the fire streaked a figure, only to collide seconds later with Glory Girl, the two wrapped in a bubble that Shielder cast, containing the destructive force of Shatterbird's power. They spun and chased one another inside their sphere. Laserdream and Flashbang were aiding Tattle, hammering the building, causing chaos within as Grue searched for Twilight. 

Crawler exploded from the basement, showering Morkulv and Siberian both in chunks of debris. Just as soon as his form emerged, two of the dogs began harrassing him from both ends, while the third attacked as possible, darting in and biting, then backing out, then lunging in again for another go. The four figures spun and danced in the streets as lights lit up the sky above. 

Morkulv slammed a chunk of concrete into the side of Siberian's head, then grabbed her ankles, lifting her up and carrying her into the sky before rolling and hurling her downwards... for her to come to stop a mere couple of feet away, and spin, kicking him in the chest, shattering the black armor around his torso and hurling him through the sky.

“There's someone in the building, near where Crawler emerged. Not moving. Hiding behind a thick steel door, seems a little unusual.” Morkulv spun at the sound of Skitter's voice.

“Thanks. Help Grue find Twilight.”

“He's found her. Fighting with Jack for her now. She's unconscious. Bonesaw ran a while ago.”

“Get some bugs on Jack. See what you can do.”

“On it.”

He turned back to the task at hand, and hurtled downwards, grabbing Siberian and slamming into the ground in a shower of concrete and asphalt again. He knew it was hopeless, but at least this way Siberian was focused on him, and not on someone else. Then searing pain, a pain he had not felt in a very long while, suddenly shot through every fiber of his being. Siberian grinned up at him as her mouth tore away from his shoulder, from which she just tore a rather large chunk of his flesh away. He howled in pain, feeling at least two broken bones from her jaws. He rolled away from her, trying to summon his healing concentration, but she slammed into his back, hurling him forwards into a pillar of concrete, making his head spin as his skull slammed into the solid structure. 

Selkie made her presence known as suddenly a sewer vent exploded upwards in a geyser of water that twisted and rolled around Siberian, but she walked through it, unphased entirely. Selkie attacked again, jets of water hammering the girl's form, but she simply ignored them, striding towards Morkulv as he pushed himself to his feet again, one hand clamped over his wounded shoulder, blood seeping between his fingers as he once again tried to focus on healing...

Siberian's cold fingers wrapped around his neck, lifting him off of his feet, and effortlessly hurled him a good fifty yards into another concrete pillar which cracked with his impact and showered him with pebbles and dust. He slumped at the base, nearly incoherent, his thoughts scrambled, unable to get to his feet...

A concentrated volley of fire from Twilight's suit slammed into Siberian's chest, hurling her backwards. Then suddenly Siberian twitched, froze for a moment, and turned and ran, leaving Morkulv slumped at the base of the pillar, unmoving.

“I got her!” Grue shouted. “I could use Panacea. Bleeding pretty bad.”

“Her or you?” Tattle asked immediately.

Morkulv's head spun at the sound of the voices, trying to make heads or tails of it. Where was Siberian? What... what was going on? He pushed himself up until he was sitting with his back against the pillar, trying to summon one pure thought.

“On my way,” Panacea answered. He flexed, trying to rise. “I need to go,” he growled to himself, forcing himself up, his concentration slowly returning, his healing powers finally beginning to work, swirling through his addled mind, repairing the concussion, healing away the damages. “Must... go...” he growled, pushing himself up. 

“Both,” Grue growled through the earpiece. “Jack wasn't so keen on letting her go just yet.”

“Hurrying,” Panacea responded. 

Morkulv, forcing himself to his feet, shook his head, feeling his healing power seeping with increasing potency through his head and shoulder. He lifted off his feet and hurtled forwards, following Siberian. They weren't done yet.

As he flew, he began summoning his black armor, layering it over himself in collapsible sections, setting it up to repair itself if necessary, while summoning to his hands two large black blades which resembled an odd cross between cleavers and scimitars. 

“Skitter, need a location on Siberian,” he growled.

“Remember that place I told you about before? I got my bugs inside—Siberian didn't like that.”

“On it.” He headed in the direction and saw a sudden fountain of concrete as Siberian tore her way into the ground. He slammed into her side, slamming her into the wall. She spun on him with a sudden ferocity that he had not yet seen, ripping at the armor panels all around him. They reformed as quickly as she could tear them down. He slammed the blades into her neck, one on each side, but of course, they had no effect, merely shattering themselves from the force of the impact without damaging her even superficially. He growled and twisted in her grip, kicking with his powerful hind legs, slamming her into the wall. For a moment, with her back to him, he allowed himself to look down and over the curve of her hip, admired the feminine grace of her backside...

Then she was spinning and tearing at the ground horrifically. 

“Skitter, I need you to kill that person, in the room.” 

There was a long pause from her. “What?”

“Do it! It's Siberian! If you don't, she's going to kill you and everyone else for this.”

“I... I'll try...” Skitter responded slowly.

“I'm at Grue,” Panacea announced. “I need help getting them out of here. I can't heal them and move. Glory Girl?”

“Little... busy.... at.... the.... moment” she responded, grunting and crying out between words as she spun and fought with Shatterbird. 

“Skitter!” Morkulv barked, kicking Siberian in the temple, drawing her attention back to him for a brief moment, long enough for her to grab him and hurl him about seventy feet into the air, tumbling head over heels before he could regain his balance and control and twist around and shoot back downwards.

“I'm trying!” she cried. 

Siberian let out a howl of rage and frustration, slamming into the concrete remaining that separated her from her projector, and true form. She grabbed the material and ripped it away in massive chunks, hurling it overhead, inadvertently causing Morkulv to have to twist and twirl around the flying projectiles as she did so.

Outside, Crawler was on the retreat, heading the direction that Jack and Bonesaw had disappeared in. Hounded by the three dogs, but not really suffering any damages or effects from them, Bitch finally came back in, riding one of the dogs. “Where's Grue and Twilight?” she asked.

“Inside. Can you help me get them out?”

Bitch spun and headed in Panacea's direction without another word. Morkulv grunted as Siberian slammed him into the wall, his armor crumpling and reforming in sheer fractions of a second. She twisted his arm, and he slammed his forward into the bottom of her jaw, giving himself more of a headache. He growled and kicked her middle, causing her to slide backwards in the hole she'd dug into the concrete, then went to one knee as an unstable block gave way beneath her. Twisting back upright, she slammed her hand, sharpened into a point, all claws together, into his middle, and pushed. And kept pushing. Harder and harder, sinking farther and farther into his layers of armor. His eyes went wide as he felt her claws hit his stomach, and grit his teeth, feeling his middle refusing to give way...

Siberian's eyes widened suddenly, and her mouth twisted open in a horrendous, painful scream that echoed and slammed into Morkulv nearly like a physical force. It took him a few seconds to realize that the force he had felt was her claws suddenly surging forward, into his stomach, piercing deep within. He grit his teeth against the wave of burning agony as her hand suddenly splayed open and twisted within, shredding a good portion of his internal organs, but his healing power was already hard at work. 

He grabbed her wrist, yanked her arm free, noting with distaste her bloody and gory hand, and spun her around, slamming her into the wall, pinning her in place.

Then Siberian.... was gone. Just like that, and Morkulv was left holding a section of the wall, alone and blinking uncertainly, before sinking to his knees and giving in to the pain, letting it roll over him. 

“I did it,” Skitter said breathlessly. “It's done.”

“I... know,” Morkulv growled, panting softly for breath. “Thank you.”

“We're out,” Panacea announced. “Fall back?”

“Affirmative,” Tattletale responded. “Let's get the fuck out of here.”

Morkulv remained on his knees in the hole for a few long moments, feeling his healing power swirling through his middle. Siberian had done horrendous damage internally. Damage that would have killed any normal person, and even a great number of capes. 

Morkulv was not normal. 

After a few seconds, he rose, and flew out of the hole, shooting up and grabbing Skitter. She clung to his neck tightly, shivering ever-so-slightly. “I did it,” she finally whispered. “I killed someone.”

He nodded. It wasn't the time—yet—to have this conversation with her. He needed to make sure everyone else was okay first. 

Knowing their homes would definitely not be safe for the time, Tattletale took them straight back to the PRT headquarters instead. They arrived to see Miss Militia standing alone out front, and stopped and set down in ragged formation around her. She looked around at the bedraggled group.

“Well? How'd it go?” she asked after a few moments of silence.

“We got her,” Tattle announced, stepping out of the suit, and walking to where Bitch, Regent, Vista, Kid Win, and Glory Girl were gathered in a circle. Inside of the circle, Panacea was kneeling over two prone forms, Twilight and Grue. Both were covered in blood.

Morkulv hurried in, and knelt next to Panacea. “How can I help?” he growled.

Panacea took his hand, and laid it on Grue's chest. “Take care of him. Careful. This is not as easy or instinctive as something like the virus was. If you do something wrong... it's very difficult to undo.”

Morkulv nodded, and carefully delved within while Panacea focused on Twilight.

* * * * * * * 

I closed my eyes, groaning and pushing my hips back again as Jack slid his length deep within me. I hadn't noticed it before, as I had been too addled by the pain to fully notice before, but while not larger in girth than others I had had within me, Jack was definitely a couple of inches too long for my small body. Not that he really cared. He shoved as much as would naturally go inside, until his cock was pressed against my cervix, then kept right on pushing, stretching my insides in a most unpleasant way. I groaned, and rubbed my cheek against the pale thighs gripping my face. The pain from what he did was nothing compared to what I had just been through, and somewhere in the fucking that had followed and me giving in, they had run out of the serum, and it had slowly worn off. 

Now, I was a puddle of aches and pains. Stretched tendons and ligaments, quivering muscles, aching bones. Nothing didn't hurt from my chest down, and added to that was the position I had been held in for hours, the strain on my back, the way my neck had to fold back on itself when Bonesaw pushed her hips up into my mouth. My jaw ached, my tongue was numb, my pussy throbbed and ached... I had never been fucked for this long, nor this ruthlessly. I had cum trailing down both my thighs from where Jack had cum in me several times, mixed with my own from my own unwilling orgasms. I had swallowed what felt like an entire gallon of Bonesaw's juices as well, and my throat burned for water—real, fresh water.

“Such a good pet,” Bonesaw murmured. “I think I might just forgo my test for you. I like you. I wouldn't want you to accidentally fail, after you passed this test so... thoroughly.”

I couldn't make a sound in response, as my mouth was still glued over her slit, her hand holding a fistful of my hair, pressing me harder into her groin. Her little clit was hard, and I rubbed my tongue across it again in response, my eyes flickering up to look up at her as she smiled down at me. 

Despite everything, my feelings for her, the pure hatred that rolled through me for this girl.... she tasted heavenly. Better than anyone else. It shamed me to admit that I liked her pussy, and wanted it... it killed me. And I think she knew that, and I think... that in and of itself was her test. Killing me by making me want the thing I hated most. 

My eyes closed again, as Jack finally pulled free of my body, and let go of my hands, which he had been holding together in the small of my back. They fell to my sides, limp and numb. He laughed, and smacked my bottom. “Let her up, Bonesaw. This one needs a little rest, I imagine.”

Bonesaw pouted, but released my hair, and slid out from under me. Jack easily picked me up, swung me over his shoulder, and carried me into the bathroom, where he placed me in the stall, and turned the water on. The water was biting cold at first, but I didn't mind. It soothed the burning hurts, the aching pains. Then it was too hot, and I feebly crawled out from under the spray, reaching for the knob to turn the temperature down. Mission accomplished, I sat on the floor, under the water, letting it wash over me for a long time before finally Jack reappeared, turning the water off, and threw a towel over me. Bonesaw pulled me to my feet and held me there while Jack toweled me dry. It was an oddly affectionate and tender thing for him to do, carefully wiping the water from my face and cheeks, patting my belly and tenderly, carefully drying between my legs, cupping my red, tender, and inflamed pussy with the towel before stepping away. 

Bonesaw lead me to what must have been her room, where she put some shorts on me, loose athletic shorts that came to midthigh, and a tshirt, then pushed me into a bed.

It was from this bed I became aware of the sound of fighting outside. Explosions, whining, roaring, crashing, smashing. I sat up, adrenaline surging through me. My friends had come! Despite everything, they were here for me. I stood on shaky legs, and pushed the door open....

To complete darkness. Grue must have been inside. I bit my lip, looking around for a moment, then plunged into it.

“A fool's errand, boy. Do you know what you have done? Do you know how many thousands will die now because of this?” Jack was taunting. His voice sounded oddly hollow, disembodied. 

Bonesaw giggled. “Besides, I don't think she wants to go with you now. She likes her new family. Did you ever take her? You know. Sexually,” she giggled again. “She took me. She was such a sweet, attentive lover.” Her voice suddenly went very firm. “You cannot have her.”

“Shuttup,” Grue growled, and I jumped. He was very close. If only I could see, or talk to him through the earpieces... where was my costume? Where had they thrown it? I began crawling across the room looking for it.

Suddenly Grue cried out in pain, and Jack laughed. “Your own darkness is working against you, boy.”

“Laying knives about is dangerous. Didn't your mother ever tell you?” Grue snapped, and I heard Jack grunt, and the muffled sound of an impact, much like a fist connecting with someone's middle.

“Fucker,” Jack growled, and the air just above the back of my neck rippled, as something passed by very close overhead. I immediately pressed myself to the floor, and shimmied forward as quickly as I could. 

“Language!” Bonesaw admonished. I blinked. It was so... eerily similar to Tattle, I felt the routine smirk already on my face before I knew it, and bit my lip hard to keep from dwelling on it. Tattle was not Bonesaw. Tattle... my Tattle... was so much, infinitely better. I missed her so at that moment. I shimmied forwards some more.

The darkness suddenly lifted, and I looked around in slight confusion. The first thing I noticed was that I was about to run smack into Bonesaw, who looked down at me with a smile. The second thing was Grue, limping, slamming into Jack and carrying them both into the wall. They went down swinging, and blackness swamped over both of us at once. Bonesaw stepped on my hand, and bent down, grabbing my wrist, then pulled me up, turning me so my back was to her, and held me against her as she slid sideways along the wall.

Then Jack cried out, and there was a thump as something hit the floor, and suddenly the blackness was gone again. Bonesaw froze, seeing Grue standing there, holding a bloody knife, then let me go and dashed into the back. Grue made as if to pursue her, but went to one knee. I went to his side. “Let her go, we can deal with her later,” I told him, running my hands over his chest. They came back pure red, literally dripping with blood. “Yours or his?” I asked, my voice a little shakier than I would have liked. 

“Both,” Grue said with a wince, and then went down onto his back, gritting his teeth. His mask clicked, and I realized he was talking through the earpiece for a moment, and merely sat on my heels next to him, watching Jack's prone form, until he spoke to me again. “You.. okay?”

I shrugged. “Little worse for wear, I guess,” I said, trying to force a smile.

It wouldn't come. 

“Is... is he dead?”

Grue looked over at Jack as well. “Doubt it. But I hope so.”

I stood up and walked over to Jack, hardly noticing the blood on my knees and hands as I leaned over his prone form, looking down into his face. 

His eyes snapped open, and he smirked, a knife blade, thin as a pencil shooting up, going right through my shoulder, slamming into the ceiling. I screamed, and it went away as fast as it had come. I fell to the side, blindly reaching out, and grabbing the first thing I could—a cell phone. I rolled and tucked it into my middle, hearing Grue struggle to his feet, ramming into Jack as he got back to his. Both men went down again, blades spraying from Jack in a way that left the surrounding area looking like a pincushion. I hissed as another scraped my back, cutting from my hip to my shoulder in a shallow line, splitting right through the flimsy t-shirt I wore. I grabbed the phone with bloody fingers, and pried the back cover off, and using my thumbnail as a screwdriver, began popping certain components loose. A few seconds later, the phone began to vibrate and get hot in my hands. 

“Grue!” I called, and tapped into my other power, warping him to me and us away from Jack, the phone to Jack even as he covered us in his blackness. The detonation of the battery in the phone was a little underpowered, but got the point across, burning a swath up Jack's neck and face. He growled as he threw his hands out at us, a hundred knives all pointing at us... 

I screamed as they hurtled through the air towards us, then saw nothing.

* * * * * * * 

When my eyes slowly slid open again, I was staring up into the very concerned eyes of Panacea. Her hand was on my cheek, cupping my face gently. I blinked a few times, and licked my lips. They were exceedingly dry. “Water,” I rasped. 

Almost immediately, someone was pressing a bottle of water into her hands, and she put it to my lips. I sucked down the cool wet liquid as quickly as I could. She gently pulled it away, and helped me sit up. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

I looked around at everyone gathered, and saw Tattle and Vista, both watching me with worried expressions. My eyes filled with tears and I held my arms up, like a kid asking to be held. Tattle was the first to me, wrapping me in her arms, clinging to me tightly. Vista was only a second behind, getting me from the other side. I buried my face in Tattle's neck and drew a long breath. She smelled like sweat and stress, and LISA. I loved her. The tears came pouring out I squeezed them both as tightly as I possibly could. 

“What happened?” someone asked. Regent, maybe?

“I fought Jack. We fought Jack. He threw knives at us and ran.”

I pulled up long enough to look over at Grue, and my heart leapt into my throat. Morkulv was sitting on his haunches next to him, and both looked the worse for wear, bloody, torn up. But they were both okay, physically. 

Suddenly, I wondered how I looked, and remembered the last thing I had seen. “Mirror?” I asked.

No one responded.

“It can't be that bad,” I tried to say lightly, but my voice caught in my throat before I was even halfway through, and it came out more as a squawk. “I need to see,” I tried again.

Panacea's hands were smooth and gentle on my back, and Tattle and Vista held both my hands as they pulled me to my feet, and I looked down at myself. Whatever the shirt had been, it was no longer. The front was riddled with about seven or eight jagged rips, and the entire cloth was soaked pure red. The shorts were much the same, having turned a dark, nearly black, red, and the waistband gapped one side where it had been slashed open. I put a hand to my neck, and felt the dried and still-wet blood mixed on my neck as well.

“How... how did I not die?” I asked. 

“I got to you just in time to stabilize you,” Panacea responded. “I had to help you and Grue at the same time, it was... well. It was touch and go for a long time,” she admitted. “But you're safe now.”

“And the Nine?” I asked immediately, looking to Tattle. 

“Shatterbird is in custody. They have her sedated and held below ground. Siberian is dead.”

“Jack? Bonesaw?”

“They got away. This time. But this isn't over.”

I looked up at the sky for a moment, then right back at Tattle, as the most profound sense of determination I had ever felt in my life settled over me. “No. You're damn right it isn't.”

* * * * * * * 

They all took temporary quarters at the HQ that night, while the Wards called in some backup from a couple nearby cities, and they set heavy patrols all around the city, looking and watching for the S9 to reappear, and make good on their threats. Rooms were of course limited at the HQ, so they ended up bunking several to each one. 

Emma, Taylor, Lisa, Missy, Kelsey and Amy all took one room. Amy wanted to stay near Kelsey “just in case” anything happened. Warren suspected her fear was a little deeper, that she had taken Kelsey for a reason. And for some reason further, she wasn't willing to share with the others just yet what that reason was. But, at the same time, he trusted her, and so he didn't push, and let her take care of Kelsey.

Brian, Alec, the other members of New Wave, and Warren himself took the other room given to them. They tossed out their cots wherever they could, and most were down and asleep within moments. They had been awake for hours and went through one hell of a fight; Warren couldn't blame them for it. 

He stepped out of the room for a moment and went to a designated common area, sitting on one of the couches, flipping on a television and randomly surfing through some of the channels without paying overly much attention to what was actually on. 

It wasn't long before Taylor appeared at his shoulder. “Hey,” she said quietly. She had her arms crossed and was rubbing her forearms. Wearing some generic clothing the PRT had had available, she looked rather uncomfortable, to put it lightly. 

“Hey,” he rumbled back, trying to make his voice as light and un-wolf-like as possible for her.

“I... I'm sorry. But I have to ask. You told me earlier today to look for something unusual and then immediately seemed to know what it was. You knew all along, didn't you?”

Warren studied the ground intensely for a few long moments before answering. “Yes.”

“Then why not tell me right away? I... I'm not mad, that you didn't. I just don't understand why you wouldn't want me to know. I didn't know until Siberian vanished that this person I killed was them. I killed someone entirely on your word. What if you hadn't known? What if you had been wrong? What made you so sure?”

Warren growled, low in his throat, to himself. “I... I can't tell you that,” he said. “Believe me. I've tried. I wanted to. I want to now. But I can't. I. Physically. Cannot.”

Taylor scoffed. “Can't, more like won't,” she said in a huff.

“That's not fair,” he growled again, staring into her eyes, making her meet his gaze. 

“Telling me you can't tell me why I killed someone solely on your word is? Please. You're hiding something from me. From all of us. And don't think the others haven't noticed it. We all did. They're just too relieved we made it through today without losing someone. Brian and Kelsey were both almost killed, and god knows what Kelsey went through before we got there. So don't sit there and pretend like you've earned the right to be treated fairly by us when you're lying to us.”

She turned her back, and went to walk away. “Wait. Please. Taylor.”

She turned and glanced at him over her shoulder. “Why?”

“Because when I tell you I cannot tell, I'm not lying. I can't even tell you why I cannot tell you. But I can promise you this: I am looking for a way out, a way to tell you everything, that will make sense. I promise. I'm trying, please believe me.”

Taylor paused for a moment, then without another word, walked from the room.

* * * * * * * 

I laid on Lisa's lap, her hands resting on my shoulder and stomach. In front of me, Missy was sitting, holding one of my hands, while my other rested on her thigh. It was warm, soft, comforting. I looked up at them both, smiling over me, and managed a small smile. 

When they had brought me in, they had helped me into the shower, scrubbed me clean, washed the blood from my hair and skin. For a time, I had thought the water would never run clear as it sluiced from my body, but eventually, it had, and the scent of soap rather than blood met my nose. They wrapped me in some shorts that barely fit and another crappy t-shirt while I told them the test that Jack had put me through. Lisa cried throughout. 

I left nothing out... I told them how the pain had changed over time, how I had enjoyed parts of it in the long run. How Bonesaw had gotten into my mind and fucked with me. Lisa's cheeks never dried until I mentioned the “language!” connection I had made, and then they hardened. 

“You know I'm not her.” It wasn't a question.

“I know. You're my Tattle. My Lisa. My love.” I cupped her cheek. 

“And she is going to pay for every moment of that. Somehow, I will make her regret it.”

I looked back at her for a long moment, before pulling her in and giving her a long, soft kiss, letting my tongue ghost across her lips. “You and me both, Lisa,” I promised her softly.

Then we lay here, while Amy laid her hands on my head, and searched me for anything else that might have been done. It took some time, but eventually she gave me a clean bill, and made sure everyone else was fine, then laid down, and promptly went right to sleep. 

Emma and Taylor chatted for a bit, then Taylor stepped out for a few moments. When she came back, she went straight to bed, and soon enough, it was only the three of us awake. 

“Best get some rest,” Missy said softly to me, leaning down and kissing my forehead. “Today is going to be a long day.”

I nodded slowly. “I know. I just... every time I close my eyes, I see Jack... Bonesaw...”

“Its going t otake some time to get over that, but it'll be okay, I promise,” Lisa said in a soft whisper. “Especially after tomorrow, and after I get my hands on that fucking cunt.”

Missy arched an eyebrow at Lisa. “Wow.”

Lisa shrugged. “She deserves it.”

I rolled under Lisa's hands, and looked up at her. “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Don't... lose yourself in this. Things are shit right now. I know that. You know that. Everyone knows that. We'll be okay. Me, you, Missy. Us. We'll do this together. We'll be fine. Okay?”

Lisa looked at me for a long moment, then kissed me softly. “I promise.”

* * * * * * * 

When the next morning dawned, it found New Wave standing in a row out before the PRT HQ. Their costumes were still dirty, torn, bloodied, and whatnot from the day before, but the people inside were fresh and ready.

“PRT reports say they've been hounding Jack and Bonesaw all night. They're obviously looking for an opportunity to deploy the plague, as promised. However, up until now this opportunity has been denied to them. Without Siberian, they seem to be at somewhat of a loss. Crawler has been contained by a deployment of Tinkers from Boston. They're working in close coordination with one another to keep one step ahead of him. Leaving those two as the only two loose.

“This all being said, Jack is keeping to his word of upping the body count. Everywhere he goes, he's leaving a trail of bodies behind him. He's doing everything he can to kill, injure, and maim as many people as possible. This has to stop. We have to put an end to this here and now. The S9 have a long-standing kill order against them. It's time we fill that order.” Glory Girl crossed her arms and looked across the group. “We can do this. We're all together, here and now. Any questions?”

Morkulv looked down the line. Apparently, Bitch had had the forethought when pulling Grue and Twilight out to grab her costume for her, so there she was, the only one present in a pristine costume, standing in front of her suit with Tattle. Their eyes met for a long moment, and he could almost sense the unease that rolled off of her when their eyes met. I will find a way to tell you. To tell all of you. As soon as I can. This secret is not going to destroy us.


	24. Chapter 24

Being chased throughout the night would not top many lists of “Awesome Things to do Before You're 20” but for me, it was way up there. With a spring in my step, I followed Jack through the city, smashing in doors, playing with those we found inside until we were outed again, and on our way once more, giving the pesky capes the slip once again with ease, and repeating the process over and over...

Little did those capes know they were playing right into our hands. Focusing on us, thinking that we were the only ones left, left on the defensive and on the run, nonstop. Little did they realize that aside from the girl not being with us—either on her own, or due to a serum I had planned to inject her with as part of the next test, which we hadn't quite had time to administer, everything had gone exactly as we had planned. Even the loss of Siberian had been foreseen. In a way, I wished I could have seen his face, when he realized at the end that we had put him in a place of vulnerability. In order to sell the “vulnerable” side, we had to appear to loose something that truly mattered. We lost Siberian. A calculated move. We knew the capes lose their cool and attack, trying to contain a biothreat they believed me responsible for carrying, focusing their efforts on me. Containing me. As if I would be so stupid to carry said weapon on my person, and not have failsafes.

Said bioweapon had already been set up and was on a timer to launch, regardless of how this “game” with the local capes went. It had been set up mere days after the girl had ruined my fun in San Francisco. The timer was slowly ticking down to 0, but we still had a few days left, if I remembered correctly. Not that it really mattered. This particular brand had been made with the cure in mind—it altered its genetic sequence so rapidly it was literally beyond comprehension. It simply could not be contained and could not be stopped. That meant that literally the only ways to survive it would be complete avoidance, which would be near impossible. It was designed to be airborne, spread through physical contact, fluids, and would infect both water and food sources. To this day, every simulation I had run, even with a small-scale launch, ended with complete, world-wide spread within 60 days. Once the virus hit the oceans, it was over. Literally the only way I had theorized to be able to survive it would be to freeze one's self in cryogenic isolation for a period of close to fifty years—the virus had a shelf life of between thirty-five and forty years, give or take 5 years depending on how long it took the last few stragglers to die off. Assuming that the virus spread and killed every living being on the planet within a year, it would take another 1-2 years for those infected to starve completely and their systems to completely shut down. Even then the virus would remain dormant within their corpses until it finally expired, meaning around fifty years from the date of infection would be near to the closest safe time period to wait.

I giggled a little to myself. I had such a facility ready and waiting for us. Us, and a few select others. Others that we would of course accept only very generous payments in return for places. And not payments of monetary value, no. But secrets. Information. Locations of stockpiles of resources. Resources that we could later use to break the boundaries, bridge the worlds, expand our horizons...

As the saying went: First the world, then the universe.

I smiled again as Jack gripped my hand, steering me around a car, up a driveway. Two precise slashes of his knives later, a front door spun off of its hinges, and into a new house we went.

Inside, the father was sitting on the couch, watching TV. Alone. Jack took him quickly, quietly, a quick slash severing his vocal chords and throat in a spray of blood that splashed across the TV itself. He toppled to the carpet, thrashing about for a few moments before going still in a growing red puddle. I tip-toed down the hallway, and opened the door to a child's room, smiling broadly as I saw the two little girls in matching beds on either side of the room. Twins! Wonderful. There were so many things one could do with twins. I rubbed my hands together, then grabbed some tools, and got to work.

Twilight had been fun, while she lasted. The memory of her tongue on me sent me into a bit of frenzy as I worked on the two, creating a unique masterpiece.

* * * * * * *

I tapped the controls in front of me, powering the suit, lifting off the ground. Tattle sat behind me, her screens pulled up in front of her. She was pouring over the information flowing in, now that she could unfocus on just the one source of information, and on multiples. Before, she had been entirely focused, and even distracted, by me. By finding me. I could feel her resolve hardening, almost like a physical presence, behind me as she let herself unwind from a personal task, and focus on the larger picture.

It struck me then, that was why she had been a villain. She wasn't able to divide her personal life from her. She wasn't able to put the common good, the good of all, above the good of Lisa. I blinked at this revelation. I wasn't upset by it, nor repulsed. In a way, it warmed my heart that I was the center of her worry, but I resolved to have a conversation with her about it at some other time. She was the “hub” of our information gathering, our insight into something more. We needed her focused at all times.

“Hmm,” she said softly.

I twisted in my seat to look back at her. “What's up?”

She looked up at me. “Something's off,” she said finally. “I... I missed it before. But that fight was too easy. We took out two of them, and didn't lose anyone. That's.... that's never happened. Siberian has killed before... and we just... killed it.” Her lips pursed in thought under her mask. “Shatterbird is in custody. In custody...” her eyes widened. “Shit.”

“What?”

She was furiously looking over her screens, but the information was connecting in her mind a few seconds too late. As the sun broke the horizon, and rose on the city in a state of full panic, the PRT HQ building lit up like a torch.

For a moment, it was completely quiet, as the mammoth fireball blazed into existence before the screen had time to darken and dim the glare. “GRUE!” Tattle screamed. My eyes flickered to the side, seeing the group gathered all around us, turning in shock. Grue was already raising his hand, darkness leaping from his fingertips, engulfing members one-by-one. It was an oddly surreal view, the fireball expanding slowly, as if time itself had slowed to the point of being able to observe every passing millisecond. Shielder was raising his hands, his shield growing, the darkness expanding, the fire racing outwards, Tattle's scream hung in my ears, ringing, stretching...

The shockwave slammed into us, hurtling every one of those outside to the ground with the sole exception of Morkulv, who stood with his arms crossed before his face, his black armor wrapping around him over and over. Then the darkness engulfed him, then us, and I could see no more.

The combination of the shields and blackness saved us. Saved all of us. Once it was over, Grue let the blackness dissipate to a scene that looked straight from a war movie. The building was in ruins. There wasn't a single window left intact. The doors were gone. Flames poured from holes that hadn't existed before. The walls, where they still stood, were ragged and black, and everywhere were the bodies. PRT officers and staff scattered. Some were on fire. Others just lay still, fallen wherever they had been tossed. The whole lawn was in flames, blackened, scattered with debris and bodies. Cars had been toppled and tossed aside by the explosion, and even as we stood in shock, one blew, the roof flying into the air and landing a good twenty feet away as the gas tank went off.

“Status?” Glory Girl demanded at once.

“We're good. We're all okay,” Tattle confirmed at once, glancing through her screens and readouts from everyone's pieces. “Can we get someone inside?”

“I'll go,” Selkie said at once, and put a hand out, over the ground before her.

* * * * * * *

I had never seen anything like this before, but I knew immediately I was the best equipped to go into the inferno. I held my hand out, and below the ground, the water contained in the sprinkler system reacted, rushing at my control, breaking out of its pipes and pushing its way through the soil, coming out of the ground in a small geyser, flowing steadily and whirling around me in an expanding whirlwind as I walked forward steadily. As the water hit the waves of fire and heat, they beat at one another, water flashing into steam, to be replaced by more, fire falling back. Water raced over the sources of the flames, expanding before me.

Almost subconsciously I was controlling other streams of water, breaking other mains and pipes, directing the spray of water into the building, smothering the fires wherever I could.

However, the water couldn't do anything to clear the air, and thick black smoke billowed from the interior, causing me to cough. Then suddenly there was a bubble around me, pushing the smoke back, and I glanced over to see Shielder moving beside me. His face was set and determined. With his ability to hold back the smoke, and mine to fight the fires, we made our way inside, looking for any survivors.

Rubble and ash covered everything. There was literally nothing left intact of the first thirty feet of the building besides bare skeletal walls, standing like a maze now, without a ceiling. The roof had collapsed further in as well, but hadn't been lifted clear by the blast, and so chunks of it hung down into the hallways ahead, providing obstacles to both us and the fire itself.

We found the first batch of survivors towards the back of the ground floor. A few quick questions revealed they had started on the third floor above, and ridden the collapse down to where they were now. The hope for further survivors was further diminished as we found a second group—half of them had broken bones and obvious severe injuries from the blast and collapse, and the other half were dead from smoke inhalation. A third group, and the hope was even slimmer. We moved on regardless, holding out hope...

“Deaden your earpieces!” Tattle shouted over the link, and everyone, us included, reacted immediately, hitting a small button on the outside that injected foam all around it, sealing all sound out. It was the best auditory protection available on the market, but even still, it couldn't quite keep out the full impact of the sound of Shatterbird's scream blasting through the air, glass swirling in the ruins. I looked around and saw windows in all the buildings nearby giving way, exploding into sprays of razor-sharp, deadly debris, raining down on streets filled with those who had come out to see what was happening at the PRT HQ. Screaming people covering their ears fell, bloodied even more, cars swerved off roads, slammed into buildings, into other cars...

It was a rolling wave of chaos that spread through the city like wildfire.

“Fuck,” Glory Girl breathed. I could picture her, watching the scene, pale and terrified. This was beyond even the Endbringer.

“There's no... no hiding this,” Tattle put in. “PRT leadership is annihalated and the S9 are on the loose here in Brockton Bay.”

“We can fight them,” Grue growled. “We won once already.”

“A victory they let us win. They put Shatterbird in here on purpose.” Tattle's voice was low, full of sorrow. “I didn't see it before. This one's on me.”

“You're not infallible,” Twilight said quickly. “None of us are. You did what you could, when you were able, and you need to pick yourself up, and move on. Focus here, and now. Don't resign yourself to losing because you lost one match. We need you now more than ever, Tattle.”

“She's right. We need you. Tell us what you can. Help us coordinate. We're all this city has left right now. They need us.”

There was a moment of silence, and I could almost envision Tattle sitting in her seat, pouring over her screens of information, regathering her thoughts and emotions. “Okay. Selkie, Shielder, come back. We're going to need everyone we have, and we need to start thinking one step ahead, and be proactive, rather than reactive.”

“Lay it out,” Grue said immediately, as me and Shielder hurried back towards the group, helping one another over the obstacles in the way.

“They've been controlling the game up until now. I have a hunch—not to say that I'm gathering this with my power, it's literally just a hunch—that this entire show is nothing but a front, some type of bluff. They're probably planning on launching the virus no matter what happens. And chances are, it will be better than the last time. They know we can think fast and react to what they do, and they're counting on that. Us reacting. Always reacting. It's time to take the control away. We need to cut them off. So. Jack and Bonesaw are on their run of terror, and we can't in good conscious let them be. They're too dangerous to ignore. We have the PRT focus on them, and them alone. We forgot, however, for a time, that they're not alone.

“We forgot Burnscar. We forgot Mannequin. Cherish. We thought we had Shatterbird, but she just blew every plane of glass out of this city. We forgot this because we got Siberian—Jack must have known there was no way we could buy into this without sacrificing someone important to them. They picked Siberian, and it fucking worked. Now, we're done being his puppets.

“We're enforcing the kill orders. I know we usually fight to contain, to capture, but not this time. These people have just killed hundreds, if not thousands, of our people. Put an end to this. We're killing them. Burnscar is nearby, she has to be. Mannequin probably is as well. Twilight is working on a little something to handle Crawler. So. Here's the plan: Glory Girl, Shielder, Laserdream, on Shatterbird. Don't pull your punches. Take the fucker down. Lady Photon and Flashbang in support. Grue, Bitch, Regent, Morkulv, Skitter, Selkie, on Mannequin. Do whatever you can to dismantle his creepy fucking face. Twilight and I will handle Burnscar. Clear?”

There was a series of affirmatives that flowed over the earpieces. I looked up, and began gathering water around me, spreading it out, dissipating it into light clouds and vapor that hung in the air, nearly invisible, but enough to condense into a weapon if necessary. I spread it out, hanging it carefully around each person, holding it off their skin. I didn't want them to even inadvertently absorb even a single drop of it. I needed it. Needed as much as I could get. This was not going to be an easy fight, but I was determined to see it through to the end.

* * * * * * *

There was a thrill to the fight, to the anticipation and the rush of flying headlong into a situation where you were never really certain that you were going to come out the same way on the other side, if at all. There was that rush of adrenaline, which was becoming all-too-familiar. There was the heightened senses, the ability to take in more, it felt like. The ability to see more, to hear more, to understand more, process the information quickly, putting one's mind into “triage” mode and make decisions inside of a single moment, and commit fully to it, to accept in that moment all of the consequences which may or may not come from that decision. There was the feeling of invincibility, the shiver of fear, the dread of losing someone, always. Then there was the pride of moment, the pride of going into the fight for those that couldn't fight for themselves. And the fear that one would fail, and let those dependent on them down.

Morkulv couldn't spare even a second for the fears, the doubts, the second guesses right now. He hurtled through the air as quickly as he could, Skitter's arms wrapped around his neck, her slim and small body pressed tightly against his own as he carried her along. All around them, a spinning maelstrom of insects seemed to cover every single surface, filling the gaps between buildings and covering the sky. He glanced down at her, but couldn't see her eyes through her mask. He could only imagine that they must be slightly out of focus as she pushed herself to her limits, drawing in the most insects she had ever used at once before in her life, drawing them in from all over the city. She had rambled for a couple minutes about discovering a way to relay her commands through other bugs, expanding her range, and had been doing that as well. Now, moving through the city as quickly as she ever had before in her life, here she was, drawing in the largest swarm of her life as well, prepared to enter a deadly fight.

Selkie had found an interesting form of transportation, a rolling ball of water moving along the street below them, with her contained within, easily keeping up with him as he flew through the streets. It was rather eerie, seeing her encased within the water, her hands half held up before her, as if holding the water together with their presence. Her eyes looked to be closed, but he knew she was watchign them closely, holding to their every movement as they searched.

Well, as Skitter searched. The purpose of the swarm was entirely two-fold. She would use it fight, naturally, but it was also looking. Searching for their target. Morkulv couldn't see through walls, nor did he have any super hearing; he relied on her bugs as much as she did right them, hoping they would be able to find Mannequin long before he found them, or worse... someone else in their group, relying on them to have him under some type of control and containment.

He heard the others talking, communicating, organizing. Selkie answered some question he hadn't quite caught, and he mentally shook himself. He needed to pay attention to what was happening.

“Twilight's almost finished with her gadget. Once we find Crawler, we should be able to disable him quickly.”

“Got it. Any luck on finding anyone so far?”

“I have a hunch where Burnscar may be lurking. We'll check it out soon. We have to drive them all out in the open first.”

“Open for ideas. Scouring the city isn't getting us very far.”

“I say we draw them to us.”

“Care to expand on that, Selkie?”

He heard her cough a little. “Well. Earlier you said we need to be proactive over reactive. But right now, this is reactive. We're searching for them on their turns. But what if we go somewhere, and set up a target they can't refuse? Then they'll need to come to us. I... I just don't know how... what to use as bait.”

“Great idea!” Tattle said. He could hear in the tone of her voice the growing excitement of a new idea.

After a couple seconds of silence, however, it was Grue that nudged her into sharing. “Want to ah... expand on that, Tattle?”

“Right. Sorry. Okay. Everyone head to the pit. Remember, the cleared out area where we fought Leviathan? Go there. We're going to draw the 9 into us.”

Morkulv glanced around, gathering his bearings on where he was, then adjusted course, and turned in the direction that Tattle dictated. He could only hope the idea she had was a good one.

* * * * * *

I bit my lip as I tapped the little canister sitting in my lap a final time. “You're sure that's what you read?” I asked Tattle for what to be the hundredth time.

She glanced up at me, with that “really?” expression all over her face. “Yes. I'm sure.”

“I don't know... it just seems so... so easy. I mean really. A simple chemical detonation to calcify his tissues?”

She waved her hand in a circle. “Something like that. Basically, turn him to stone. Poof, threat gone.”

“And how did you read this?”

“I told you, it was in the PRT database. It was an idea a Tinker had after the last time he engaged Crawler. He prepped a couple bombs for them just in case, but right now we don't have access to those, so...” she patted my shoulder. “We're trusting you instead. Love you!”

I rolled my eyes, and twisted a wire around a coil. I thought I had it mostly about right, but seeing as how I was working with both improvised materials and tools, on the go, I wasn't so sure about its actual effectiveness. Tattle seemed to trust it, however, so I tied off the last bit, and carefully set it in the storage compartment, waiting for when we'd use it.

Glancing up and out of the viewport, I saw that the rest of the group had gathered up, and we were ready to launch the bait plan. I popped the hatch open, and me and Tattle climbed out. I pulled my mask off, brushing my hair back out of my face, and bit my lip again as Vista walked over, giving me a little side-hug. I leaned against her, relaxing for a moment in the comfort of her presence and embrace as Tattle walked to the group, holding her tablet in front of her face.

“Okay. Broadcasting in ten seconds. Look sharp everyone!”

“Broadcasting?” Glory Girl asked, looking confused.

Tattle made a shushing motion at her, and turned her back to the group, holding the tablet up before her. The front camera was on, and showed her standing with the rest of the group. I took Vista's hand, and we joined with the rest.

“This message is to the 9. We have a new idea for a new game between us and you. We'd like to call it... We're going to kill you, and put an end to your madness. No more charades, no more politics. We're waiting for you, right here.” She spun in a circle, showing the area all around us. “No tricks, no gimmicks. Come on out. Fight us. If you're too afraid.... the PRT is still accepting surrenders. You'll be sent to the Birdcage, I'm sure. But that's not our problem, our concern. Come see us. Tattle out.”

She clicked the camera off.

“Well that was easy. Just hacked the local broadcasting center, sent that message on all channels to every television in range. If they're around, they'll either come after us, or continue hiding.”

“If they don't come?” Glory Girl asked.

“Think about it,” Tattle said simply. “You're a member of the S9, and a group of capes just called you out specifically, and very publicly. The media will already be putting choppers in the sky, getting drones overhead, etc. Getting eyes on where we are. They're all about their reputation. They can't be seen as cowards, or they lose their edge when going into new territory. If we can call them out with impunity, then so can others. It'll be the end of their legacy. They have to respond, and Jack is smart enough to know it.”

Sure enough, as soon as she was done speaking, the air seemed to split apart as Shatterbird screamed, flying past rapidly. Luckily for us, our earpieces were still in and deadened, so no one even so much as flinched, turning to follow the flying figure.

Glory Girl was immediately in the air after her, Laserdream and Shielder running out, raising their hands as Shatterbird swooped around and came right back at them. I turned with Tattle, and we dashed back to my suit. I hopped in, grabbed the makeshift canister, and shoved it into the manual launch tube between my feet. “KC, load up projectile, wait for my confirmation for firing.”

The suit whirred as she followed orders, and I lifted off, spinning in the air and pointing the energy cannons right at Shatterbird....

Glory Girl slammed into her, and they tumbled head-over-heels through the air. I could see them kicking, punching, tearing at one another briefly before Shatterbird broke away, trying to arch through the air, to slam into one of Shielder's projections. Lasers flung by Laserdream hammered into her back, making her scream and tumble through the air again, Glory Girl slamming back into her...

A huge pillar of fire exploded from one of the buildings around the edge of the “arena” of sorts we were in, then another, and another, quickly spreading all around. Selkie was already reacting, pulling in water from underground and directing sprays at first one, then another pillar, but more continued coming, springing up all around the arena faster and faster as Burnscar gathered more areas to jump between. I watched each one spring into existence, and watched the fires slowly spreading...

The ground beneath Grue and the others cracked as Crawler slammed up from below, breaking his way through. They scattered, and I re-oriented the suit, waiting for him to breach fully...

Insects seemed to black out the sun as they swept up into the sky, swirling in mass. Several poured over Shatterbird as she continued her duel with Glory Girl and the others, but more were just.. waiting, lurking...

A chain shot out of pillar of flame, slamming into Morkulv, sending him spinning to the ground. Attached to the end was an eerie white hand. As it retracted back, it grabbed Panacea by the hair, and whipped her around, slamming her into the ground and dragging her several yards before she managed to twist free of the grip, leaving more than a few strands of her long hair tangled in those mechanical fingers.

She rolled onto her hands and knees, pushing herself up. One of Bitch's dogs took off after the chain as it retreated, even as Morkulv went to Panacea's side, and lifted her up. He twisted just as a knife came out of one of the pillars of flames, slamming into his shoulder and shattering rather than piercing through. Even from where I was, I could see the fury growing on his face as two more slammed into his back, having as little effect as the first.

Crawler slammed into the ground again, this time toppling several of my friends. Grue cast a shroud of darkness around himself and those few around him, obscuring anyone's vision from outside. “Scanners up, KC,” I said briskly, flipping a little switch and broadcasting only to myself, Tattle, and KC. “Find them.”

[Affirmative.]

I spun the suit around, tracing Glory Girl and Shatterbird across the sky as they tumbled over one another, slamming repeatedly into one another. Laserdream was constantly harrassing Shatterbird with his shots, and Shielder limiting the arena, but still Glory Girl wasn't able to get a solid grip on the fiend, and their struggle continued. I winced as I zoomed in, enhancing the image, and realized why; Shatterbird was surrounded by a whirling cyclone of glass shards, nearly as tight as a second skin. Every time Glory Girl tried to attack, she was hitting shards of glass instead, and it showed. Her uniform was torn up and ragged, blood was showing in some places. It wasn't boding well for her. I directed the flow of information to Tattle.

“Morkulv, move to support Glory Girl,” she directed.

“But-”

“Fucking do it!” Tattle snapped, not in the mood to explain herself.

Morkulv shot into the air immediately, heading straight for the other two.

Selkie was continuing her battle with Burnscar's fires, but was slowly losing ground. Burnscar was moving faster and faster, closing in slowly, surrounding us with fire. I directed the feed to Tattle.

“Selkie, rather than fighting a retreating battle, strengthen the area immediately around us. We can't afford to be smothered in flames; just concentrate on a small area immediately around us.”

“Got it,” she responded, and immediately I saw the jets of water redirecting, moving in circling walls now, focusing on digging trenches and ditches around us. Vista stepped to her air, moving the ground around the water, increasing the distances Burnscar had to jump to spread her fires.

Crawler hit the ground again, and this time came through, spraying dirt and debris twenty feet into the air in a wide arc all around him as he clambered upwards to freedom. Bitch's two dogs were on him at once, biting and harrassing, even as I spun the suit, lining up my shot... which was instantly blocked by one of the dogs, then again, and again...

I flipped the switch on my earpieces. “Bitch, move your dogs away from Crawler. I need space!”

“Fuck off,” she growled. “I got this.”

“Now isn't the time for posturing,” Tattle snapped. “Do as she says.”

There was a click, and I glanced out the viewport as Bitch stepped on her earpieces.

“Bitch,” I muttered, and I didn't mean her nickname.

“Let her handle Crawler for now if she wants,” Tattle said. “We don't have time to fight amongst ourselves as well.”

Morkulv slammed a black weapon into Shatterbird, and she went spiraling into the ground. Shielder immediately had her covered and contained, and Morkulv landed cradling Glory Girl. I could see her injuries were beginning to get the worst of her; her forcefield must have been knocked down, for her to get so cut up.

Mannequin hurtled into the fight, bursting through a screen of bugs. Skitter yelled a warning, and time itself seemed to come to a complete stop as everything seemed to happen all at once. Mannequin spun to a stop, his arms whipping around his torso and extending even as his legs plowed into the ground, holding him perfectly still. One arm slammed into Selkie and Vista, sending them rolling across the ground, crying out in pain. The other slammed into Lady Photon and Flashbang, driving them into one another. Their heads collided with scary force; even from my vantage point I could tell neither of them were going to be in any fighting condition for the rest of today after that hit. Morkulv was one of the first to react, stepping inbetween Glory Girl and Mannequin, confirming my suspicions that her shield was down, and that he knew it. But even as he moved in front of her, I saw the sliver flash out of the smoke and flame behind her. In that endless, eternal second, I felt a chill begin the race from the bottom of my neck down my spine in excruciating, exquisite detail. I saw the blade, extending out, slowly, quickly, the second stretching into infinite time... my mouth opened to cry a warning I knew would never arrive on time. I saw Shatterbird, looking up from beneath her shielded prison, a smile on her face. I saw Crawler, seemingly frozen in time as he hurled one dog into another, growing bigger, stronger by the second.

And I saw Amy, her eyes wide, her mouth frozen in a scream. She had seen what I had seen. Her hands reached out, as if willing it to stop, to do something, anything to protect her sister...

Victoria gave a strangled grunt that came through the earpieces in stunning, unique quality. It was, I knew immediately, the last sound she would ever make. The blade hit her in the middle of her neck, severing immediately through her spinal cord and windpipe, slicing through her vocal chords, leaving her dead where she stood before she knew it. And just like that, it was gone just as fast, whipped back to where it had come, and the blood gushed forth, coating her neck, front and back, bubbling from her lips as her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment even as her limbs went completely limp, and she fell. Morkulv was still in midturn, mouth opening, as she hit the ground, her eyes already gazing up at the smoke-filled, blackened sky, sightless and unseeing.

“VICTORIA!!” Amy screamed, rushing through the field, uncaring of who or what was in her way. I watched, then realized Crawler had seen her going, was raising his claw.

I would NOT lose both of them. Not like this. My eyes darted to the dog, and I realized... I didn't care. Amy's life was worth more to me than its was. My finger squeezed the trigger, the canister WHUMPF'd free of the suit, slamming into Crawler's side a second later...

The detonation was much smaller than I anticipated, but that was good. Any larger, and it would have hit Amy as well. The powder exploded out, then rippled inwards with an electric charge, covering Crawler completely and about three-quarters of the dog next to him. As the electric charge passed through it, it set out the reaction, and literally less than one full second later, standing where Crawler had been was a perfect stone statue of him instead. And as for the dog....

I saw Bitch screaming, looking up at the suit, tears on her cheeks. I didn't care. I had told her... and I wouldn't lose Amy right after Victoria. I looked away.

The dog would not have an easy time of its death. The least I could do was ease its passage. As I pushed the suit forward, I directed two incendiary rounds down, through the last remaining piece of living flesh, burning it away, giving the dog the death its screams asked for.

Mannequin whirled as I got closer, reminding me suddenly that we were very much still right in the middle of a desperate fight. His fists flew at the suit, and I blasted them back, the energy cannons incinerating the chains that attached them. He looked surprised for a moment, and turned to run, to find that his feet were now firmly cemented in place, and Skitter had been busy at work, her insects binding and constraining him, weaving him into what was quickly becoming a cocoon around him. I turned my attention away from him as Amy reached Victoria's body. She and Morkulv were kneeling over her.

“She's gone,” Morkulv said quietly. His voice was heavy with disbelief, grief... guilt.

“No! NO!” Amy was shouting, pushing at his hands as he gently tried to pull her away. “I can fix her! I CAN FIX HER!” she screamed, pushing at him harder.

“You can't!” Morkulv said, giving her a firm, yet restrained shake, catching her hands, pressing her palms together and wrapping his hands around hers. “Amy, listen to me! You can't fix this. You can't 'fix' death. She's gone. Do not try. You won't like what you do, what you become...” he trailed off, but I could tell there was more to what he wanted to say, but didn't.

“You don't know that,” Amy sobbed. “Please, let me go, I can fix her.”

“You can't,” he repeated, pulling her away. “But you can your mother. Your father. They need you.” He pushed her gently towards their prone forms, where they lay unconscious. “Help those you can. Focus. This isn't over.”

I looked up, seeing Burnscar pop into my view, throwing her hands up, a pillar of flame coming right for us. My eyes narrowed. No, this was far from over.

Selkie threw up a geyser of water, interrupting the flames sending up a huge pillar of steam instead. I fired the energy cannons at Burnscar, saw her blink away, untouched, and twisted the controls, KC helping me track her, firing again even as she reappeared. This time, it hit, surprising her, driving her back...

A knife blade careened off the viewport of my suit, leaving a noticeable gouge.

“Someone gonna do something about Jack?” I muttered.

“On it,” Morkulv growled, and I saw his form literally blur as he raced towards the source of the blades. By this time, the PRT had arrived, throwing what little strength they had left at the backs of the S9. Obviously Bonesaw had something set up for them, as all I could see where some dim flashes and bangs as they dueled with whatever it was on the other side of the flame curtains that kept us pinned in. I twisted in my seat, the cannons firing again and again at Burnscar, forcing her back, hopping from place to place, unable to stay in one place long enough to do much of anything for the moment.

Tattle shouted orders, directing most of New Wave, what was left of them in fighting shape anyway, to put an end to Shatterbird. I didn't watch. I didn't care, didn't want to see. All I needed to know was that they killed her, and it was the end of another member of the 9. Three down. Mannequin was entirely at Skitter's mercy now, unable to do anything more than roll his head from side to side, and even that movement was slowing down as her mass of insects continued their binding. I did a brief scan, and nearly gagged at the report. Insects, smaller ones, were forcing themselves into every crack and crevice, filling his suit entirely. At this point in time, the mass of what was inside the oddity that was his “suit” was mostly bug. I shivered, and turned away from him as well, marking another down on my mental list. Four down. Which left Bonesaw, Jack, and Burnscar.

* * * * * * *

Jack danced backwards, sending knives spinning in a blur around him as Morkulv closed in on him. For the first time, he looked... nervous. Unsure. His knives were glancing off of Morkulv as if he was made from sheer invulnerability. He thre them up in an effort to block Morkulv's advance, crossing a doorway. Morkulv simply grabbed the blades, ripping them apart, and continued his stoic, non-stop advance. Slowly. Surely. An unstoppable force...

Jack darted backwards again, and a person—if it could even be called that anymore—darted at Morkulv, trying to tangle his legs and bring him down. Without a glance, he summoned a blade to his hand and swung it downwards, sheering the being in two. Whatever Bonesaw had done to the person was undone, just like that. He didn't want to know what other creations she had running around. Some he could hear as they fought the PRT outside. He didn't care.

Jack broke, turning and trying to run, realizing that he was overmatched, and facing his end. Morkulv moved faster, skipping ahead of him, his feet not even touching the ground, and backhanded him as Jack sprinted towards him rather than away suddenly. Jack flew into a wall, smashing through the drywall. Dust and insulation rained down on him, covering both of them. Morkulv reached down into the hole in the wall Jack had made, and pulled him out, lifting him free by his throat, squeezing hard enough to cut off his air supply, but instead, Jack gave a little chuckle.

“Strong as you are, you can't deny... Bonesaw's implants have their place.”

“Do they?” Morkulv growled, and smashed jack into the wall, again and again, until blood ran freely from a hundred wounds all over Jack's back. “Do they still?” he roared in his face.

Jack coughed, but it was bubbly and pink. Most of his ribs had to be shattered, and sure enough, a quick look through the healing part of Morkulv's powers revealed that while the meshes and the like that Bonesaw had “installed” in him were holding his life together, protecting his most vital organs, the rest of him was in bad shape. His shoulderblades had been reduced to shards of bone that had been driven into muscle tissues, his spine shattered in a dozen places, only held together by the mesh around his spinal cord. He could even see the neural implants, those that blocked Jack's pain receptors.

Fortunately for Morkulv, he could make other centers of Jack's brain do the same thing.

A sudden scream ripped from his throat as the pain he had not been feeling suddenly flooded his mind in full. Every bruise, every break, every laceration poured through his mental state completely and entirely. He tried to twitch, tried to move, tried to do anything, but couldn't even lift a finger, only scream.

Morkulv held him aloft, squeezing tighter still on his throat. He could feel the mesh under his fingers, threatening to give way.

“I have one thing left to say to you,” Morkulv growled in Jack's face.

The man's eyes rolled madly in his head, but came to a rest when they fell on Morkulv's.

“Fuck you, you fucking shitbag,” Morkulv growled, and his fist clenched, ripping through the mesh. He tore his throat out completely, and didn't stop there. Knives appeared in his hands, and he hacked and slashed at Jack's body until there was nothing left.

Standing over the pile of gore that had once been one of the most feared men in the world, he spit on the corpse, and turned and walked away slowly.

* * * * * * *

Burnscar blinked into being only half a second before Twilight's cannons slammed into her, twirling her around, slamming her to the ground. With her concentration so broken, the fires all around had died away, giving way before my ceaseless fighting. And with fewer and fewer spots for her to go, Twilight's suit had done some real damage to the fiend at last. And now...

I moved, more basic reaction than conscious thought, and held up a hand, summoning a sphere of water that surrounded Burnscar, washing over her, drenching her completely.

I could see her eyes widen in the water, looking wildly about. More and more geysers of water were rising around her, cutting off more fires, putting out the last few that raged, now broken free from her control anyway and dwindling in size to begin with. She was trapped, and she knew it. Submerged in water, surrounded by her enemies...

I watched her open her mouth, and deliberately pull in a lungful of water. For a moment, I could feel the water pouring down her throat, and blocked it—but then my eyes flickered over Amy, still kneeling over her unconscious parents, Victoria's still body...

I let the water go, relinquishing my control over it, and felt it flood her lungs. I hardened the water around her form, preventing the thrashing that tried to follow, staring into her eyes, cold and hard.

“Fuck with my friends,” I whispered, barely above a breath.

“And we fuck with you,” Skitter responded, and her hand slid into mine, squeezing it as she stood with me, and watched Burnscar die.

Behind us, I heard Twilight's suit take off.

* * * * * * *

One left. Only one, and then the S9 were no more. One more.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and saw once again the apartment they had drug me to. Saw once again Bonesaw, sitting in front of me, bare from the waist down, felt her hand on the back of my head, guiding me down, felt Jack moving behind me. My legs twitched just a little in rememberence of the wracking pain that had taken over my entire body, and a tear rolled from the corner of my eye.

I forced my eyes open, looked over the PRT's fight. The Wards, and those heroes that had come with them, were backed into a circle by a ring of twisted-looking human-esque creatures. Twisted and seemingly broken human shells. They seemed uncomfortable killing them, and I could imagine why; Bonesaw would know their aversion to killing, and would have left the faces intact. The faces, the last human piece to those poor souls left below.

“KC... stutter-fire the cannons. Lock on all abnormal signatures below. One shot per—clean and simple. Don't draw it out. Then trace Bonesaw's signature. We have one fight left to win.”

[Affirmative.]

The cannons spun and quickly, yet efficiently, ripped Bonesaw's creations to shreds.

[Scanning.]

I set the suit down, and popped the hatch. Kid Win was the first to come to us.

“I brought the others to help,” he said immediately. “I didn't forget, if that's what you're thinking.”

“Not at all,” I said slowly.

“It's all right,” Tattle assured him. “Are you all okay? Any casualties?”

“None.” It was Miss Militia who answered this time, stepping up next to Kid Win. “We've been fighting these... things... for hours. Bonesaw has been busy.”

“Do you know where she is?” Tattle asked. I didn't trust myself to speak just right then.

“No. We tracked her this far, assuming from what we could see, we assumed she had run into you.”

“She's around here somewhere,” Tattle murmured.

“What's the status?” Miss Militia asked. “You know. There.” She nodded towards the other side of the buildings, where smoke still rose into the sky slowly.

“Crawler, Shatterbird, Jack, and Burnscar are down. Dead.”

“You killed four members of the S9?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Five. We killed Siberian yesterday. Mannequin is in custody. Bonesaw is the only member unaccounted for.”

“Reports also speak of a 'Cherish' in their ranks. Any word?”

Tattle shook her head. “Haven't seen her. Jack did say someone recently died, or the like. However he worded it. Basically that they were recruiting two new members. So seven accounted for sounds accurate.”

“I'll take your word for it.” Miss Militia turned to those with her. “Fan out. Find Bonesaw.”

“Wait,” Tattle said, and quickly pulled a flash drive from her pad and handed it to Miss Militia. “Used my power and did some quick calculations. These should be the most likely locations for the virus that Bonesaw wants to relaunch here. I'm certain she has it set up on a timer or failsafe to go off regardless of what happened with their game. Send your people there, we'll get Bonesaw.”

“Are you sure?” Miss Militia asked, but Kid Win was already taking the flash drive, and loading it into a minicomputer on his wrist. I eyed that with a moment of interest. I wanted one of those.

Tattle nodded. “Completely. This one is personal.”

Miss Militia nodded, and turned away as KC beeped in my ear. Me and Tattle leapt back into the suit, and it was already lifting off as the hatch closed.

[Target located.]

“Mark on HUD, take us there.”

[Affirmative.]

The suit went to the roof, and about three buildings over, then set down. I glanced down, at the rooftop below the suit, and saw her outline moving about, pacing a room, nervous, waiting. Anxious.

I popped the hatch, grabbed a weapon from the compartment under my chair, and looked to Tattle. “Get airborne. Be ready when I saw go. KC is loaded with what I need, okay?”

Tattle hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I trust you.”

I paused a moment. “Lisa... I love you.”

She bit her lip hard, and didn't have time to respond in person before the hatch shut, and KC lifted the suit clear of the building. I turned and hurried to the stairs. “Kelsey...” her voice was small in my ear. “I love you more.”

I smiled fiercely to myself, and hurried down the stairwell, gripping the weapon in my hand. It was a small energy cannon, modeled after the suit's cannons, but made to be handheld. I hurried down another flight of stairs, and looked. Yep. This was the floor. About two doors down, Bonesaw's outline hurried towards the door, then paused.

I raised the ordinary-looking pistol in my hands, sighting right at her outline, and waited a few seconds, holding my breath to be completely silent.

After about ten totally silent seconds, the door opened, and Bonesaw stepped out. Her face was dirty, smeared with blood. I looked at her closely, and she smiled as she saw me.

“Hey there cutie,” she said, giving me a little wave.

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled.

“Language,” she admonished, and rage tore through me so hard I nearly vomited. It was _Lisa_ that said that, not her. She didn't have the right!

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” I repeated, my voice barely above a growl.

“You shouldn't be so rude. It makes me really rethink recruiting you,” Bonesaw admonished.

“You shouldn't have ever tried. Do you realize yet, what coming here has done to you? To your group? To your friends?”

Bonesaw cocked her head to the side.

“They're dead, you know. All of them. Jack. Burnscar. Shatterbird. You're the only one left.”

“I am?” Bonesaw actually looked... surprised. Shaken. Unsure of herself at last. “Wait. You're not lying, are you? Trying to trick me?”

“I have no further reason to lie to you,” I replied. “You've already lost. We've won. Everyone else in your group is dead, and you're surrounded. Even if you do somehow kill me, you're dead.”

“Kill you?” she laughed. “Sweetie. I wanted to work with you. You're... you're the only Tinker I've seen that can undo things I've done. You're the only one who has a mind that can rival my own. Think of the partnership we'd make.”

“Killing innocent people? Torturing thousands of innocents?”

“It doesn't have to be that way. Jack.. the 9, they were who took me in, who gave me a chance. I was raped, abused, used and cast aside before them. They weren't all bad... but they did have their meanstreaks and evil tendencies. Give me another chance. I'll work with you. I'll even give you the virus I created to outdo the last.” She pulled a vial from her pocket, and unplugged a cord from the top. “I kept it on me, keyed to my heartbeat. Had it ceased, it would have detonated.”

“Like I'm supposed to believe that,” I retorted. My hands on the pistol never wavered, and it remained aimed steadily at her forehead.

“Believe what you will,” she shrugged. “Honestly, I don't know how to convince you otherwise. I'm not well-versed in the art of begging for mercy.”

“I don't want you to beg. I want you to pay for your crimes.”

“Then let me do that. At your side. We can be great together. Imagine, my talents, and yours, working together? What can't we stop? What couldn't we solve? Illness? A thing of the past with the two of us working together. Old age? We can stop that as well. Genetic manipulation? Easy as pie. We can take our world to an entirely new level of evolution, don't you see?”

I paused. Some of what she said did indeed sound promising.

But...

Lisa. Her face, pure, beautiful, smiling radiantly at me. Missy. Her cute lips turned up in a smile, the one she gave only to me. Taylor. Emma. Victoria. Amy. Warren. Brian. Victoria.... her eyes still, frozen forever in death.

My finger squeezed the trigger, and the building around me came apart.


	25. Chapter 25

I pressed against Lisa's back, my hands snaking around her flat, toned tummy, running up to cup her breasts. While smaller on the grander scale of things, they were perfect as far as I was concerned, my palms covering them, feeling her nipples hardening against the slight pressure I put on them, pulling her back against me with both hands, while pushing my hips forward against her ass. She moaned slightly, and one of my hands slid down her tummy now, finding her sex smooth, bare, and wet...

I spread her open with two fingers, parting her thighs with one of my own, gently nudging her open, pushing my hips forward again, this time burying myself inside of her silken heat. She gripped me like a glove, a molten, wet glove, slick, smooth, exquisite. She moaned and pushed her back into my chest as I took her from behind, quick and hard movements driving me and out of her sex...

“Oh... Kelsey...”

“Kelsey!”

“KELSEY!”

I shook and opened my eyes slowly, the dream sequence fading away as quickly as it had come over me. It felt weird... unusual.. what....

I groaned, and looked around. I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move?

“KELSEY!!” Lisa screamed, but it was distant. Why couldn't I hear her in my ears? I rolled my head to the side, and felt wetness trickling down my cheeks. I groaned, and tried to raise a hand, but couldn't. Nothing worked. Nothing moved.

My eyes fell on my mask, but it was laying nearby. Half crushed, the visor shattered. I blinked. How... how had that happened?

There was weight on top of me, I realized, and it shifted suddenly, sending a sudden spike of agony up my spine. I cried out, and I heard Lisa, frantic, screaming for me again, and scrabbling at rocks, chunks of concrete, debris...

“Don't die on me! KELSEY!” she screamed again, and the weight atop me shifted once more, sending another spike of agony shooting through me, but with it, came some clarity, and I was finally able to realize where I was.

I was laying atop what had been the stairs, though they were flat, rather than going upwards now. A sharp edge should have been causing me a fair amount of pain, buried in the middle of my back... but it wasn't. There was a fair amount of debris scattered atop me. Crushing me. I looked down, and saw an iron bar sticking out of my stomach, another through my thigh... my other leg looked crushed...

My mouth fell open, a scream building, and the room around me evaporated in a split second.

 

* * * * * * *

 

“She's coming around,” a soft voice said, and I opened my eyes. For a moment, they drifted, hazy, unfocused, then locked on the person leaning over me. She was cupping my cheek in one hand. “Hey. Hey. You're okay. You're safe now. Do you remember me?”

I blinked up at her. “Amy,” I said, though it came out as a hoarse croak. “Water?”

She smiled. “Of course.” A second later, she was replaced by another familiar face, holding a cool-looking bottle of water. She slid her arm under my shoulders, and gently eased me upwards, then placed the bottle at my lips. I raised my hand, grabbing her wrist, holding on to it with a desperate strength that felt unbelievably feeble. “Lisa,” I managed, and she nodded, with a teary smile, and then gave me the drink I needed. Once I had finished, she took the bottle away, setting it aside. My hand never left her wrist, and once it was empty, my fingers slid through hers, clinging to her tightly.

“Do you remember what happened?” Amy asked, leaning over the other side again.

For the first time I noticed her eyes were red, swollen, inflamed. Tears still lurked behind those beautiful orbs of hers. Then it dawned on me, and I felt tears welling up in my own eyes. “Victoria,” I gasped, and Amy flinched, looking away, but my other hand came out, finding hers, giving it a squeeze. “Sorry... couldn't save her,” I rasped.

Amy shook her head. “It's not your fault.”

“She... loved you.”

Amy gave my hand an even tighter squeeze, and nodded, as tears silently ran down her cheeks for a moment. After a minute, tears flowing freely from my own eyes as well, she finally gathered her composure enough to dry her face with her free hand, and then she patted my cheeks dry as well. “What else can you remember?”

I looked between her and Lisa. Lisa looked fresh, clean. Showered. Out of costume. “More water,” I whispered. “And help me sit up.”

Lisa pulled me up, letting me lean back against her comfortably, and I cradled the bottle of water between my legs. My legs... clad only in a pair of pink shorts, they seemed unusually bare, but full. Vibrant. It was almost... strange.

“I cornered Bonesaw,” I said after a long moment of silence. “I shot her.”

Lisa nodded. “Anything after that?”

“I.... had a dream.” My cheeks suddenly flamed hot as I remembered the subject of the dream. “About you, Lisa. It was... a little different. Then... I woke up. I was pinned. Dying. I was crushed. I...” I faded out, looking down at my legs again. One had been impaled. The other crushed. There wasn't a mark, not even a scar, on either. My back had surely been broken. A bar through my stomach. I pulled up my shirt. Not a mark anywhere on me. “I... I died, didn't I,” I whispered, looking around. “Are you dead too?”

Amy shook her head, and reached over, cupping my chin in her hand. “You're not dead. And you didn't die. Well, not really. You... snapped. Again.”

“I what?” I blinked. “I don't understand.”

“We could see you, the whole time. Lisa was trying to get to you. When you shot Bonesaw, she had some sort of explosive on her person. It detonated; ripped the building you were both in to pieces. You were caught in the blast; badly burned. Your skull was clearly broken. Your back. Your leg... you were dying before our eyes, and we couldn't get to you fast enough. Not even with Warren's help. But before you did.. you woke up. You saw yourself... and.... well. The next thing we knew, some force came out of you. Missy says it was your spatial powers, manifesting themselves subconsciously. We reached into this bubble around you, pulled you out, and you healed yourself before our eyes. I didn't even get a hand on you. But... it's so strange... now... when I touch you... you don't feel... alive.”

“She is alive. We can see it. She's warm.”

Amy glanced at Lisa. “I don't mean to say she's zombie-like, or infected by some virus of Bonesaw's. She's perfectly healthy. It's just that she feels... older. Degraded, somehow. Like, like...”

“Like her DNA is decayed,” Warren growled, having entered the room, and crouched next to Amy. He flashed me a wolfy grin. “How do you feel?”

I managed a little smile back. “Good. Fine.”

He nodded. “Good. I'm glad. I'm not sure how you did it, but you seem to have gained some type of power—perhaps even some control—over death. First you beat Bonesaw's virus, then you help us beat Leviathan, then you kill Bonesaw, and conquer death itself at the same time. You're developing quite the resume,” he said, with a little smirk.

I glanced between him and Amy, and saw his hand resting casually on her back, and the way she leaned slightly towards him. He had been close with Victoria too, I remembered. He would be feeling her loss as well, but was still playing the strong role, being the rock for Amy to lean on.

I looked up at Lisa. “So... okay. New powers. That's kinda cool, I guess. Where are we?”

“You're at my home,” Amy answered. “I brought you here, wanted to stay in case you needed me when you woke. Warren's been helping keep an eye on you since we brought you in.”

“How long?”

“Two days,” Lisa answered.

Amy eyed Lisa. “Two days in which Lisa here has barely eaten, and slept maybe thirty minutes. Warren will give you both a lift home, and then I prescribe bed rest. Especially for Lisa. Kelsey, you seem perfectly fine, but if anything comes up...”

“I'll come to you right away,” I assured her, and made my way to my feet. Aside from suddenly feeling ravenously hungry, and being a little weak, I felt fine. “Can we stop and get food?” I asked hopefully.

Warren nodded. “Of course. Anything for the girls.”

I lead the way out of the room. I was only wearing short pink shorts, and a plain white t-shirt, but still... I felt better the more I moved. My balance returned quickly, and I ran my hands through my hair, tugging it back into a little ponytail. Lisa handed me a band, and I quickly tugged it on. Once we were outside, Warren wrapped an arm around each of us, and gently took off. We stopped at a restaurant, and even though we tried to pay for the food, the staff recognized us, and insisted on giving the foodstuffs to us—and then some—for free, as a thank you.

It was about then I realized that the news about the S9 had made global headlines, and once again, New Wave, and myself, were at the center of it. They had pictures of all of us, in costume and out, posted everywhere, captions of “Heroes Victorious” and the like posted everywhere. There had apparently been a candlelight march and vigil for Victoria only the night before, where people had turned out in the tens of thousands to march down the main streets of Brockton Bay, carrying candles for the fallen heroine. It was touching, and heart-warming, to know that people knew, and cared.

Amy's parents had made a full recovery, and everything else seemed to be almost normal.

Almost, because apparently Rachel had sworn to kick my ass the next time she saw me. I knew exactly why—I had killed one of her dogs, however unintentionally, and she wanted her version of revenge. I knew I would have to deal with that situation sooner or later, but for the moment, just getting back into my apartment felt amazing.

I opened the door, and nearly hit the wall on the other side of the hallway as a cannonball named Missy crashed into me, hugging me fiercely. I returned her hug just as tightly, and managed to get us back inside. Missy kissed my cheeks, lips, and nose, still not letting me go. “You had me so worried,” she confided. “Lisa wanted me here, just to keep an eye on things, or else I would have been right there with you as well.”

I smiled, and kissed her back, sweetly. “I am sorry you worried,” I told her. “But I'm okay, and I'm home now. I promise.” I hugged her again, and she slowly let me go. Warren tapped my shoulder, and I looked up at him, suddenly remembering all the troubling... everything... that had been bothering me before. And standing there, looking up at him, I knew something more so now than ever before. “Thank you. For helping,” I said to him.

He nodded slightly. “Of course.”

“Missy... I am sorry to ask this, but Lisa needs to get some rest... would you mind seeing her to bed while I have a word in private with Warren?”

Missy glanced between us, then leaned in and gave me another kiss, this one a little longer. “Sure. See you in a minute.”

I nodded and smiled, and Lisa waved sleepily around. The more she relaxed, the more the fatigue was crashing in on her. I waited until they slipped into the back room, then gestured at the front door. “Walk with me?” I asked him. Warren nodded, and lead the way back into the hall. We went to the elevator, and I punched in the code for rooftop access. Once up, we stepped out on the flat top of the building.

The sky was overcast, threatening rain, but still beautiful in its own way. I walked over to the railing, and leaned against it. “I have a confession to make,” I said softly.

Warren leaned on the railing next to me. “What's that?” he asked softly. I noticed his eyes rolled over my legs and backside, and bit back the small smile at the attention. Once again, glancing down at myself, I thought my body looked a little different than it had before. Not quite as... child-like. More mature, somehow. I put it from my mind for the moment.

“I thought you were hiding something from me. I thought you were keeping secrets, and I... I was afraid of them, for a bit.”

“A bit?” he questioned.

I nodded, gazing out over the city, feeling too nervous to meet his eyes just yet, even though I could feel his boring into the side of my face. “I didn't know what to do about it, so I... I panicked. I looked around for other options, for other solutions. I tried to find something that would tell me what you were hiding, and why.” I trailed off for a moment, but when he didn't speak, I understood that he was just waiting for me to continue. “Until just a few minutes ago.”

“What changed your mind about me a few minutes ago?” he asked.

“The fact that you had never changed. That you risk your life for me every day, it seems. That you fight next to me as hard as you possibly can. I see how you fight; when someone else is in danger, you throw everything you have into it, putting yourself in the way, protecting them. And when I am... well. It gets amplified. If you were trying to hurt me, you could have done so at any time in the last two days. You can do it whenever you wanted. I can't physically stop you... but you don't. You protect me. Still. I know... I know you're still hiding something, but now I'm not so sure you want to be. So... is it okay if I ask you some questions, and you answer them the best you can?”

Warren gave me a little smile as I turned to look at him, brushing a strand of hair out of my face as I did so. “Of course. Anything I can tell you, I will.”

“Okay. So... what's the best way to ask questions? Direct or indirect? For example, if I ask you straight—what is it you have been hiding?”

Warren frowned for a moment, his mouth opening and closing a few times, no words coming out. Then finally, he growled slightly. “I can't.... I can't answer direct. Or details. I can't...” he trailed off into a wordless growl. “I hate it.”

I nodded slowly. “Okay, so there's some type of block between you and telling me, is that right?”

He nodded.

“Okay...” I pondered for a moment. “What if I programmed KC to be able to speak for you? As in... you can think about the things you can't say, correct? What if I was able to create a device that could read those thoughts, and she would be able to tell them to me?”

Warren paused for a long moment, then finally shrugged. “I honestly do not know if that would work or not.”

I looked back over the city again. The breeze ruffled my shirt, and blew a few strands of my hair across my face again. “Okay. Is this thing important?” A nod. “Is it about the others? The group?” He shook his head. “Us?” A slow, forced nod. “Okay. Just one of us, or both?” Nothing. “So... both of us?” Again, a forced, slow nod. “The less specific the question, is it easier to answer?” A nod. “Okay. Don't know if this is related or not... but do you have feelings for me?”

Warren stared at me for a long moment. It wasn't uncomfortable, just thoughtful, weighing...

 

* * * * * * *

 

Brian and Alec were both sitting on the couch, a controller in their hands. On the screen, they were shooting their way thought some war or another. Taylor looked over at me and rolled her eyes. “Boys will be boys,” she said. I grinned, and glanced around the apartment.

“Any news?” I asked, raising my voice loud enough to be heard over the explosions and gunfire.

“Yeah. She's all good. Woke up and she's back home.”

Taylor clapped her hands. “Good news, at last. We needed some of that.”

“Rachel isn't going to be too thrilled to hear it,” Alec muttered.

I frowned at that, mostly because, from what I'd heard and the little I had seen of Rachel, he was right. “Has anyone even seen her for the past few days?”

“Nope. She's been staying at the dog shelter New Wave gave her. Went to her apartment the other day, but she wasn't around. Figure she just needs some space, some time to reason it out to herself. She'll understand eventually that Kelsey didn't really have a whole lot of time to make a decision.” Brian leaned back against the couch, pausing their game and turning to look at us girls. His eyes traveled over Taylor's form, and a smile tugged at his lips. “Anyway. What are you two up to for the rest of the day?”

Taylor, also noticing his scrutiny, walked over to him slowly, swaying her hips in a way that I didn't know she had in her. She wasn't wearing anything too fancy, but as her form and figure filled out a little more every day, seemingly, she was undeniably a sexy girl. I could certainly testify to that fact; it was hard to keep my own hands off of her sometimes... much less other parts of myself.

Alec looked over and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as Taylor slipped onto Brian's lap. “Not sure. You have anything in mind?”

“I'm sure something is bound to... ah... pop up,” he said, wrapping his dark arms around her slim waist and hugging her against his chest. She giggled a little before their mouths met.

Alec made a gagging sound, and Taylor leaned back enough to scoff at him. “Grow up.”

“Suck my dick,” he retorted.

“Okay,” I replied, and slid around before him, sliding to my knees in front of him. He glanced down at me, kneeling in my skirt, and paused thoughtfully.

“On second thought,” he said softly, as I slid my hands up his thighs, to the clasp of his jeans, deftly unsnapping them and pulling them open and down his thighs in one smooth motion. He wasn't wearing anything underneath—not that I minded, and his dick, while still flaccid, was bared to my view. I leaned back to pull his jeans clear off, then leaned back forward, breathing softly across his soft dick. I saw him shiver ever so slightly as I leaned down, and gave the soft flesh a little kiss. It twitched under my lips, coming to life slowly, and I kissed it again, and again, until it rose to its full length, pointed up at the ceiling. I gave him a little smile, and stuck my tongue out ever-so-slightly, running it from the bottom of his shaft up to the very tip.

Beside us, Brian had his hands under Taylor's clothes, making her gasp and moan softly as he rubbed her breasts with both hands and kissed her more and more forcefully. She had one hand down the front of his pants, and I could clearly see her fingers wrapped around his hard length even through the denim.

I turned my attention back to Alec as he ran a hand over the back of my head, and gently nudged my head down, my mouth sliding open around the head of his cock, taking it slowly inside. He moaned as I swirled my tongue around his head, and took him in a little more.

It was really a little funny; before, when I had been with Sophia, I would never have dreamed of doing this. But since my revelation and change, and becoming friends with Taylor again, I had been awoken to the joys and pleasures of sex. And according to Brian, who was the only one who had given me any feedback so far, I was a natural at giving head, and did it extremely well.

Alec moaned again, his hand tightening on the back of my head, and thrust his hips up a little, his cock pushing deeper into my mouth. I sucked hard on his length, relaxing my throat and letting him slide right on into my throat, his head rolling back in pure bliss as his cock entered the tight confines and grip of my young throat. I smirked inwardly, and pulled back up, drawing in a deep breath through my nose and massaged his length with my tongue over and over.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Still on the roof, I knelt before Warren as he leaned back against the railing, his legs slightly spread, his jeans discarded to the side. I looked up at him as I took his hard, long length into my mouth, and he gave a soft growl, reaching down and resting one hand atop my head while I sucked on just the head of his sizable cock, my small mouth already stretching to its limits. He grinned down at me, and brushed my cheek with a thumb, and I drove forward on his length, taking a few more inches into my little throat. He groaned his appreciation as he leaned back a little more, letting me set my own pace for the time as I bobbed, licked, and sucked on his hard length.

“God, but that feels amazing,” he said after a few minutes. “I'd nearly forgotten how lovely your mouth felt.” I glowed a little at the compliment, and drove a little further down, nearly taking his entire length. “Oh, do that again,” he growled, his hand moving to the back of my head, gently pushing as I drove down again, taking him in until my nose was pressed against his groin, his shaft completely buried down my throat. I looked up at him for a moment, my eyes glowing their eerie green, then pulled off, drawing in a long breath and licking my lips. His shaft was smooth and slick with my saliva, hot and firm as I gripped it with both hands and stroked it hard and fast.

I looked up at him again, while I did so. I had half-feared that even seeing another cock would scare me, make me remember Jack, and the way he had taken me, so roughly... but... I was wet, my entire body reacting positively to his presence. I wanted that cock inside of me. I wanted Warren to take me however he wanted.

He gently nudged the back of my head, and I opened my mouth, taking him back inside, sliding right down until once again his cock was completely sheathed inside of me. I held his hips as he rocked slightly, sliding in and out a few inches. I held still as long as I could... and suddenly realized that my lungs weren't burning. I wasn't dying for air. I hadn't took a breath in a long while... and didn't need to. I simply looked up at Warren as he continued to fuck my mouth, moving a little farther on each of his strokes before he seemed to realize how long he had been doing so and pulled back.

“Are you alright?” he asked me, a slight bit of concern touching his usually rough-as-rocks voice.

I nodded. “Perfectly fine.” I smiled up at him, then opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue, licking the head of his cock.

“Don't you need to breathe?” he asked.

I shrugged, and tickled the head of his cock for a moment with my tongue before responding. “Guess not. Perk of being dead?”

“You're most definitely not dead. Though...” he paused, and his hand brushed my forehead. “You do feel a bit cooler than usual.”

I shrugged, and swirled my tongue around his head. It gave a little excited bounce. It clearly wanted back in my mouth, where I wanted it... why was he wasting time talking at a time like this? “I feel fine, really. I promise.”

He nodded, though his hand remained on my forehead for a moment longer, then slipped back around to the back of my head, and pulled me onto his cock. I gave a delighted moan as he sank back into my throat, and he shuddered as my throat vibrated around his length, and resumed his slow, short strokes, in and out.

I shivered as I felt a tickling sensation run down my neck, and glanced down as much as I could, and saw two little black tendrils making their way under my t-shirt. I gave another shiver as they went straight to my hard nipples, tweaking them, rolling over them, squeezing them... they coiled around my small, barely-there breasts, and kneaded the soft flesh, and I moaned again around his cock as he pushed as deeply into me as he could and held it for a few moments. I wiggled my tongue under his shaft, making him groan and clench my head a little tighter.

Another tickling sensation ran down my spine, and I figured it was another tendril, trailing lightly down my pale skin. It hit the waistband of my shorts, and nimbly wiggled its way under them, and my panties as well, and my legs instinctively opened as it slid through my bottom cheeks, curling towards the front...

“Someone's wet,” he growled above me, and I moaned again as the tendril slid along my slit, pushing gently against the folds of my sex and urging them open softly. His strokes were getting longer, though still slow, pulling back till only the head was in my mouth, then pushing back in fully, then repeating in long, slow strokes. The tendril between my legs, under my clothes, matched the pace, pulsing forward to my clit, vibrating ever-so-slightly against it, then back, under my bottom.

I reached down with one hand, getting up on my knees for a moment, pulling my shorts and panties down, out of the way, then kicked them off. Now bare from the waist down, I looked down at the tendril between my legs, covering my small sex, and moaned as it rubbed against my clit again, a little harder than before.

“Someone is horny,” he noted.

I pulled off his cock and looked up at him, a tendril of saliva connecting his cock to my lips still. “Just fuck me... however you want,” I told him.

He looked down at me for a moment, then his tendrils around my breasts flickered downwards, grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up and over my head quickly, tossing it aside. Then they were up under my arms, pulling me upright, lifting me into the air easily, so I was face-to-face with him, despite the considerable height difference. He licked my face, my cheeks, my mouth, and I sucked on his tongue when he slid it into my mouth, his tendrils rubbing up and down my body, the one between my legs pressing more insistently against my preteen pussy, making me even wetter...

 

* * * * * * *

 

Taylor slid her pants down over her rounded bottom, and sat back on Brian's lap, wiggling her bottom firmly against him, pressing ever more insistently against his erection. All that separated the two of them now was Brian's boxer briefs and Taylor's thong. I watched them for a moment, still bobbing my head on Alec's cock. He was gripping my head in both hands, guiding me up and down, hissing with each movement now, and finally, I felt his cock pulse, as his back arched, and then it was exploding in my mouth, his cum filling it quickly. I swallowed rapidly to keep up as he fired burst after burst of his thick, hot cum into my mouth, then sagged back into the couch with a long sigh as he finished. I looked up at him, locking my eyes on his, and sucked on his cock hard, dragging the last bit out of him, keeping his shaft rock hard. I climbed up his body, then turned to Taylor, taking her chin in one hand, turning her to face me.

She smiled at me, her mouth opening, her head tilting back, then we were kissing, my tongue sliding into her mouth and leaving there the last little bit of Alec's cum that I hadn't swallowed. Both Brian and Alec groaned as they saw our tongue twining together between our mouths, and I smirked, feeling Alec grab my bottom in both hands, through my skirt, squeezing the round cheeks, grinding me down into his still-hard cock.

As Taylor and I parted, I watched as Brian reached down, deftly moving Taylor's thong to the side, and opening his boxer briefs, briefly exposing his long, hard cock before pulling Taylor down on it, pulling her back against his chest, running his hands under her thighs, pulling her legs open and apart, his cock buried deep into her shaven clean pussy. I saw her little clit poking out, and ached to lick it for a moment, contenting myself by reaching over and giving it a little rub. Her eyes rolled up in her head as she lost it and came on my fingers and Brian's cock for the first time, her hips jerking as I worked her hard little nub.

Alec's hand reached down and pulled up my skirt, driving straight between my legs, finding my hot and wet center through my panties. He rubbed against the mound of my sex with two stiffened fingers and I moaned, rocking back against them, then climbed off his lap, getting on my hands and knees in front of him, pointing my ass at him, and flipped my skirt up onto my back. My panties, a black lacy number that left little to the imagination, I reached back and slowly peeled down over the curve of my bottom, until they were about three inches below my sex, and I was fully exposed to him, my thighs spread as widely as the band of cloth around them would allow.

Alec wasted no time, falling to his knees behind me, and grabbing my bottom in both hands again, pressing my cheeks open so he could see everything... then diving in, mouth-first for a long lick. I shivered and moaned as his tongue wiggled against my sex, then up to my back entrance, probing and licking at that small hole, then back down to my pussy, which by this point was so wet that trails of my own wetness were showing down my thighs. He took a long taste, wiggling his tongue as deep as he could into my hole, then flicked it down, over my clit, again and again, making me cum in record time.

“Oh fuck Emma, you taste so good,” Alec moaned, and licked me again, from clit to ass, and I pushed my hips back into him harder, moaning louder.

Taylor cried out as Brian bounced her on his cock, and I looked up at them over my shoulder as Alec straightened behind me, taking his cock in his hand and rubbing it against my pussy. He looked down at me, and smiled. “Can I put it here?” he asked, and I gasped as I felt his cockhead nudge my ass.

“Not yet,” I said, looking back at him. “Not today.”

He frowned, but only for a second, then shrugged, sliding the head down, then thrust into my tight sex so fast and hard I cried out, rocking forward with the force of his lunge, his cock plowing deep inside...

 

* * * * * * *

 

Warren held out a hand, and tendrils raced out of it, thick and fast, forming some semblance of a recliner. The tendrils holding me aloft set me on it, and I immediately spread my legs wide open as the one on my little slit pressed in on my clit harder, vibrating hard enough to make my lips part in an excited moan. He rubbed my thighs with his hands, and I realized that the “recliner” of sorts had risen up, so he was staring at me between my spread legs. The idea of being so exposed, so open to him made me even more excited, and my knees drew up towards my shoulders of their own accord. He grinned at me, and leaned in, his tongue sliding over one cheek of my bottom. Tendrils caressed my back, my sides, sliding over my chest and playing with my small pink nipples, brushed my face, cupped my cheek... a rather large one slid across my lips and I opened my mouth for it, and it plunged into my mouth just as his tongue plunged into my pussy, his long, flexible little tongue sliding in as deep as it could, curling and twisting and flexing with me as I cried out around the black tentacle in my mouth.

Another tendril teased my bottom, gently working its way into my other hole, and yet another was wrapped around my tiny little clit, squeezing and working it in an undulating rhythm. I cried out again, and felt an orgasm rapidly approaching, crashing into and over me harder than anything ever had before, shattering my senses. I screamed and clenched around his tongue, trapping it inside of me for a moment, nearly biting down on the tentacle in my mouth.

As I slowly returned to normalcy, he slid his tongue from my pussy, and the “recliner” began to lower down, tilting me backwards and raising my hips. Tendrils slid around my legs and pulled them open and pushed them up, holding me right where he wanted me. I gasped as I felt his cock—the real deal—rubbing against the sensitive slit between my legs, and then I was tilted a little further back, my head nearly down to the ground now, Warren poised over me, still rubbing his cock back and forth through my dripping wet sex.

As he slid into me, slowly but surely, his cock spreading me open and pushing its way deep inside, my mouth fell open as well, and the door to the elevator opened, and out stepped two girls, Amy and Missy. They glanced around, and once their eyes fell on me, laying back, Warren's cock buried so deep within my little body that it was creating a visible bulge in my lower tummy, my hands spread and clinging to the tendrils which held me, my body wrapped and re-wrapped in them, they both turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

I lifted my hand to Missy, begging for her to come to me. I felt a weird little... wave roll over me suddenly, and gave a soft whine as I felt my lust suddenly escalate inside, and Missy was suddenly moving towards me quickly, her own hands raised to mine. Amy was moving for me as well, a glazed look coming over her eyes as she eyed the action. Missy dropped to her hands and knees, leaning down and pressing her mouth to mine. Even though I was upside down, she kissed me hard, her tongue sliding into my mouth, dominating mine, running her hands down my neck and over my chest, tweaking my hard little nipples as Warren slowly began to drag his cock back out of my body. Amy was kneeling next to Missy, and as Missy's mouth parted from mine, Amy's hand turned my face to hers as she leaned down, and then she was kissing me as well, her soft tongue gliding along my own.

As Amy kissed me, Missy pulled her clothes off, until she was naked, then once she was done, she was kissing me again, and this time Amy was undressing. I arched my back, pressing myself against the cock once again buried to the hilt inside of me, my cervix bulging around the head of said cock, nearly to the point of being painful. But instead of the pain, I only felt pure, unfiltered bliss.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Alec was well and truly pounding away at my backside now, my face buried in a pillow on the floor, my ass raised up, legs still pulling against the panties that held them closer together than I would have preferred, his hips slamming into my thighs and cheeks, shaking my body each time. I had cum more times than I could reasonably count, and was beginning to lose all sense of coherency. Next to me, Taylor had her face buried in a pillow as well, though her hand had found mine, and our fingers were tightly interwoven as Brian plowed her just as hard, if not harder, than Alec was me.

Brian was the first of the boys to lose it, howling his orgasm to the ceiling as he pulled out, and unleashed long ropes of his creamy cum across Taylor's back and bottom, some even reaching her hair. She simply lay and panted for breath, nearly unconscious from all of her orgasms as well.

I moaned and panted as Alec squeezed my thighs harder, thrusting faster, getting erratic as he got closer. I rocked my hips back against him, and felt another orgasm rippling through me, my pussy clenching and squeezing hard on his cock deep inside of me.

“Oh fuck!” he cried out, and pulled out at the last second, unleashing the first blast of his cum all over my sex, then up, across my bottom, up my back... I collapsed onto my tummy next to Taylor, and she turned her head to look at me. We lay staring at one another for a bit, breathing hard, then glanced back at the boys, both of whom had sagged into the couch, pants still undone, staring at the ceiling as they lay, completely limp.

I smiled and squeezed Taylor's fingers. “Awesome.”

She giggled, and gave a happy little sigh as we pulled our pillows into more comfortable spots, and just relaxed.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Missy swung her leg over my head, and the tendrils reacted to the change of position immediately, forming a cradle of sorts to hold her as Missy straddled my face, slowly lowering her pussy to my mouth. I opened wide and stuck my tongue out, taking a long lick, savoring her familiar sweet taste. She gasped as my tongue slid into her sex, and one hand came up to cradle her bottom, holding her in place over me.

Amy, meanwhile, was still kneeling in front of me, her head lowered to mine, and as Missy rocked forwards, and my tongue slid back, towards her little bottom, Amy's tongue flicked on her clit and moved up and down her smooth slit... sometimes meeting my own tongue within her, making Missy rock and moan. Tendrils were sliding down, around Amy's naked form, on her breasts, down over her hips, making her gasp and moan louder, her hands on my shoulders, holding on tightly. I figured she was being fucked by the tentacles as Warren's pace inside of me slowly increased, pushing into my tight little body harder and harder...

Missy cried out as she reached an orgasm quickly, her sweet cum drenching my face. I licked and sucked up as much as I possibly could, feeling my body clench around Warren's shaft as he pushed in again, and then I was cumming, crying out under Missy, arching up harder.

Warren slipped his cock out of my tight pussy after, and walked around, kneeling behind Amy. I saw his hands on her hips, spreading her cheeks, heard her pant and cry as he took her, fast and hard. I wanted that; to be used, fast and hard, fucked without mercy. Warren glanced up at me, seemingly to understand the longing in my eyes as I watched, even as Missy rolled her hips over my mouth again, and his tentacles were suddenly inside of me, moving just as fast as he was in Amy, just as hard, shaking my little girl body as he fucked me furiously, pounding me harder and harder...

Amy cried out one, then two climaxes, and my fingers were deep inside of Missy, soaked in her juices as she came again as well. I wasn't far behind one more, cumming explosively on the fake cocks inside of me, sagging into the grip of the tendrils as I wound down, Missy falling to one side, my fingers slipping out of her...

Warren twisted us around, his tendrils moving each of us easily, so me and Missy were on our hands and knees to each side of Amy, and then he resumed fucking us, taking turns in each one of our bodies, delighting in everything we had to offer. He fucked me until I came again, my eyes crossing and my body going limp, then Amy, then Missy, then me again. All I could do was pant and whine as his thick hard cock slammed into my tiny pussy over and over, and then suddenly he was roaring to the sky, and I felt his cum spraying into me, like a hose unleashed within. It leaked out and around his cock, running down my thighs, and both Amy and Missy were only too happy to lick those trails up as Warren collapsed backwards, breathing hard. As Missy buried her face between my legs, licking me clean, Amy turned, and licked Warren's cock clean.

Then all four of us just seemed to lay there, panting, catching our breaths for a long moment.

“Suppose we should get inside,” Amy finally murmured, and we all stirred to life, collecting clothes, putting a few articles back on, and staggered to the elevator and back to my place. Once inside, Missy and I cuddled up close to one another on the couch, and Amy sat next to me, feeling my face and looking me over a little. Warren took a seat nearby, watching, but saying nothing.

“I just had a thought, and wanted to talk to you about it,” Amy said, running her thumb over my bottom lip. It would have felt sexual, if I wasn't so drained. “I... I'm sorry, but on the roof, I got a little distracted. I don't know what came over me.”

I was the only one who noticed Warren's little grin, and I made a note to ask him about it at some point in the future. “It's fine... I think we all needed that... after... before.”

Amy looked up at me, and her eyes filled with tears again. “I suppose we did.”

“Amy.” This time I caught her hand, and held it in one of mine, the other wrapped firmly around Missy, holding her close. She looked at my hand, then finally met my eyes again. Crystalline tears threatened to fall from those beautiful orbs. “Don't go home alone. Not right now. Stay with us, or Warren, or Taylor and Emma, but please, stay with someone. Victoria's loss affects us all. We all loved her, to some extent. You... you can't lose yourself in that loss, okay? We love you too. We need you, too.”

She looked away, her cheeks pink. “I think I just need a little time alone.”

“No, you don't.” I insisted, squeezing her hand.

“Please, stay with us,” Missy added. “This couch is super comfortable, it makes a great bed. We can pull it out, order some pizza, then... watch some movies. Have a girls night.” Her eyes flickered to Warren. “Uh... unless you would like to stay too. You're more than welcome to.”

Warren grinned. “Thank you, but I do have some other things to attend to. Amy, I suggest you listen to these girls. They're quite a bit smarter than I think any of us really gives them credit for. You need them, and they need you.”

Amy looked back and forth, then finally gave in with a nod. I pulled her into a tight embrace, burying my face in her neck for a long moment. She returned it just as tightly, and I felt her body shake as she cried. I didn't mind. I hurt for Victoria too. It was nice to share that hurt with someone that truly understood it, and eased the pain of the passing. After a few long minutes, we parted. Warren had taken his leave, I noted, but Missy was already pulling out her laptop, ordering food. It surprised me to notice I wasn't hungry; not even a little bit. But all the same, I smiled, and feigned excitement. We took turns taking rapid, quick showers, and I pulled out of some of Lisa's things for Amy to wear while hers were in the wash. Picking a comfy outfit, I hopped on the couch, helping Missy turn it into a bed while Amy showered. The pizza arrived, and we dished it up as she came out. She took a look around, then grinned.

“Feels like home,” she said softly.

“It is.” I smiled at her warmly.

 


	26. Chapter 26

Night had fallen over Brockton Bay, pulling with it a serene calm, a strange and eerie silence that seemed to blanket the entire city. For the most part, Warren supposed, this was a good thing. The city had been on edge and the center of the news for too long, and it deserved a break, no matter how short in reality it would turn out to be. Hovering high in the night sky, looking over the cityscape, he let his mind wander for the first time in what felt like a week, but had only been a couple of days.

The S9 had been stopped. Not only stopped, but they were dead; each and every one of them. After the battle had ended with the somewhat explosive finale of Twilight shooting Bonesaw, the PRT had indeed located several bombs set to detonate at the locations Tattle had given them. Kid Win, working with Dragon, had been able to decipher the code, and disarm the explosives. The virus was then destroyed. The bodies—the few that had bodies left to gather, had been cremated, and their ashes buried in a hole in the “arena” that the New Wave had defeated them in. A memorial was already in the works for those that had died from Brockton Bay during the fight. All of the people that Bonesaw had killed were to have their names engraved on a black marble wall, and there was to be a statue of Glory Girl as well. The “arena” would be rezoned into a park, of sorts. Having been the center of the past two conflicts in the city, it was well past “repair” stage and somewhere in the “trash and redo” stage.

With all of the media attention focused on the heroes of the fight, it had been quite challenging for them to keep Kelsey alone and free of outside influence long enough for her to heal. Reporters had become worse than paparazzi, hanging around outside the apartment complexes, hoping for a glimpse of any of the big-name capes that had put an end to the S9, stopped Leviathan...

He growled and shook his head slightly, remembering the headlines the day after the fight. “Glory Girl Falls, Team Rises in Victory” and “Heroes Unite Despite Losses, Carry Through to Victory”. All so brief, they barely told the story of what had happened. Articles were painfully lacking in details. They contained notes from the broadcast Tattle had sent, but none of the major news stations had been able to get eyes on the fight itself. And none of the New Wave members had been particularly forthcoming with details. Not even to the PRT.

That had created a bit of a sore spot for the local PRT officials, who hounded someone in the group daily for more information on how the fight had progressed and wanted to know the details on who died when and who killed who. But for New Wave, the details were too fresh, too raw. Too painful. Even remembering killing Jack did little to bolster Warren's spirits. He had thought it would have, because he had hated him so, and thought his death, and the memory of it, might bring some relief, but it did not. He shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts, and turned them instead towards the next task he had assigned himself.

Teammates were important, and having a good, solid relationship with every team member was equally important. Since his talk with Twilight, he had realized how close he had come to losing a valued aspect the team, losing a friend. And so, he looked towards the next conflict—that between Rachel and Kelsey, over the dog.

He flew quickly towards the edge of the city, where her shelter was set up, and landed easily on the grounds outside. The lights were still on inside, though the cars of those that worked here were gone. Then he saw Rachel walk past one of the windows, pausing as she stooped to pick something up, then continue on. She wasn't wearing her traditional scowls, nor even her borderline-cliche baggy clothes—she had been wearing what appeared to have been a rather clean and form fitting white top.

Walking up to the door, he knocked once, and waited. A few seconds later, the door opened. Rachel stood there, a jacket hastily pulled around her shoulders, but not quite concealing the white top, which was indeed form-fitting, and showing off the fact that she did indeed have a feminine form after all. She was wearing a grey sash around her waist, and black yoga pants to complete the look, and her hair had a freshly-washed looking, laying rather tame, almost styled, around her ears.

She looked like a beautiful girl, and it was hard to put the girl in front of him in the same shoes as Bitch, but sure enough, she gave a grunt of greeting, and there she was.

“I came to see how you were doing. You look nice,” he observed, waving a hand at her.

She responded by pulling the jacket tighter around herself, and turned away, walking back towards the counter, but left the door open. Warren followed her in, and shut the door behind himself, glancing at the view from behind as she walked. The jacket, as he guessed, was cut high in the back, and showed off her full bottom, which filled out her yoga pants in a way that made his blood heat in his veins, despite the rather vigorous romp he'd just had with Amy, Missy, and Kelsey. “What do you want?” she demanded, reaching the counter, but not turning back to him.

“Like I said, to see how you were doing.”

“Bullshit. You wanted to know that, you pick up a fucking phone. You don't go across town.”

He straightened a bit. “Need I remind you which of the two of us is the alpha here?” he asked quietly.

She spun around then, the jacket forgotten, falling open, and snarled at him. “Don't fucking touch me.”

His eyes narrowed at her. “I know you're hurting. You lost a friend.”

“Lost a friend because of a friend. It's bullshit.”

“I know. And I know you're angry. But you need to calm down before I put you back in your place, and end up doing something we both regret.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then flared her nostrils and turned away again. His eyes immediately went to her shapely bottom in those tight pants, imagining what she might be wearing under them, what she might look like with them peeled down her legs, bent and splayed...

“I'm fine,” she finally growled. When he didn't say anything for several seconds following, she went on. “I hate her. She killed him. She didn't have to.”

“She did what she thought best in the heat of the moment,” Warren said.

Rachel shook her head. “I don't buy that. She never did like me. We didn't get along. You know it as well as I. She did it to fuck me over.”

Warren shook his head. “That's not true. She doesn't know you, because you don't let her. Because you two communicate on different wavelengths. Kelsey acted as quickly as she could to what was happening. You saw it; Victoria was down, Amy was running right before Crawler. She saved Amy's life.”

“At the cost of Brutus's!” Rachel snapped, turning back around, but now there were tears in her eyes.

“Yes, at the cost of Brutus's. Brutus gave his life, so that Amy could live. And I think if Brutus had the choice to make again, he would do it again. And again, as many times as it took. He was a good dog. Reliable. Loyal.”

Rachel nodded, but didn't speak this time.

“I am sure, when you see Kelsey, she will apologize, and I know she probably feels terrible about it. But you have to remember what she had just been through. And what those people did to her. And she was not about to lose another friend—or anything else—to them. Mourn your loss, you have earned the right. Respect his sacrifice, and make it meaningful. But do not blame the innocent.” He stepped closer to her, and gave her a grin. With his human projection up, it was quite easy. She looked into his eyes for a moment, then sagged.

“I... I don't know why I got these clothes,” she confessed. “I thought maybe if I tried to be someone else, that it would hurt less, losing Brutus. I thought that maybe, being someone else, I could leave this behind, move, get a normal life. But I'm just lying to myself... I can't be someone else. I mean look at me.” She waved a hand at herself.

Warren caught that hand. “You look amazing. So good.”

She looked up at him. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

A naughty flare suddenly sparked in her eyes. “I shaved, you know. Cut my hair, had it styled. Shaved everything... everything.” Her eyes flickered downwards. His followed them, till they were pointed at her groin. With his heightened wolf-like senses, he could smell the spark of arousal that had ignited within her, and reached out, lightly stroking that small flame with her power. Her eyes went hooded as she let the lust roll over her, and suddenly she was pressed against his chest. “Wanna see?” she teased.

Warren looked down at her, then took her arms, and lifted her up onto the counter, facing him, parting her legs and standing between them as he pulled her to sit on the very edge. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he leaned in, licking up her neck, to her ear. She shivered slightly as his hand covered one breast, giving it a little squeeze. “Usually you're a little more... aggressive,” she said, only a little breathless as his hand squeezed her breast again.

He licked her neck, up to her lips, and slid his tongue gently across her lips. “Usually,” he agreed, then licked her lips again before sliding his tongue into her mouth. She sucked on it eagerly, caressing it with her own, running her hands down his back to his projector and flicked it off. She unsnapped his jeans, but he caught her hand and pulled it away before she slid her hand inside his jeans. He winked at her as he pulled her top off, pushing the jacket off her shoulders, then taking the top off completely. She bit her lip as he pulled at her bra straps, and she reached back, unsnapping the bra and letting it fall away from her generous breasts. He cupped them in his hands, pushing them together and licking her tender nipples, flicking his tongue back and forth between each tender peak.

She rubbed her hands over his head, her breathing quickening as he licked each nipple for a while, then finally slid farther down, licking down her belly, then putting her legs together and pulling her yoga pants down, undoing the sash and tossing it aside. She was only wearing a small black thong under the yoga pants, and he quickly had those pulled off as well, baring her smooth, bare sex to him for the first time.

He spent a moment admiring it. It wasn't as petite and small as most of the other girls he was used to being with currently. It was a little fuller, which he knew from experience, but seeing it devoid of any hair gave it an eternally youthful appearance that set his blood afire anew.

He ran his hands up the backs of her thighs, lifting her legs, setting them over each shoulder. She looked down at him, and gave a very uncharacteristic giggle as he lowered his nose to her mound, his tongue snaking out and sliding through her lips, spreading her open and taking a long taste of her sex. Her head rolled back as he licked her, his tongue snaking its way up inside of her tight tunnel, twisting through her folds, curling around her clit, sliding down, over the smooth bit of flesh between her holes, flicking against her backside.

Her hips began a small movement of their own, rising and falling in time with his long licks, pushing herself up off of the counter to get more of him inside of her, to get more feeling, to get more everything. Her breath came in rapid pants, and before too much longer, her hands were grabbing his head, forcing him down, closer, pulling at his ears as her thighs clenched around his head and her orgasm washed over her, her pussy clenching tightly on his tongue. He slid it out, licked her clit again, then licked up her belly, over her generous breasts, and stuck his tongue in her mouth again. She moaned as she tasted her own cum and juices, still abundant on his tongue, and sucked greedily at it.

He wondered for a moment, just how hard it would convince Rachel to go down on another girl... probably would be the easiest while he was fucking her, he imagined. His eyes closed briefly to a vision of Rachel between Kelsey's thighs, licking and tasting her, making her cum as he pounded her ass from behind. He growled and licked Rachel's cheek.

“My turn,” he said gruffly, then spun Rachel around on the counter, pushed her down so she was laying with her head over the edge... right at the level with his cock. Without much preamble, she opened her mouth, and he thrust inside, feeling the warm, wet heat of her mouth envelope his head, then a couple inches of his shaft. He pushed in until she coughed, and had a slight moment of annoyance. The whole “not breathing” thing for Kelsey had turned out to be, in a word, fanfuckingtastic. It was hard for him to even comprehend the pleasure of sliding into her tight little young throat, and then be able to stay there indefinitely, or slow fuck in and out out of it... it had been one of the best experiences so far for him.

Rachel wiggled back a bit, and he tried again, thrusting into her mouth, going slow enough to avoid overwhelming her, but still insistent. She coughed again, but he pushed past it, feeling the tight grip of her throat welcome his cock. Her pushed in the rest of the way, and growled happily, holding it inside for a few seconds before pulling back. He leaned over her chest, tendrils springing from his fingers, and wrapping around her breasts, squeezing and kneading them, flicking the little tips, covering them and “sucking” on them, nibbling them...

Another slid down her belly, and he watched her thighs part automatically as it reached the top of her sex. He wasted little time in working it down farther, to her back entrance, and began to prepare her, working it into that hole, stretching it open slightly, using more of the black stuff to lubricate the hole. She moaned and wiggled on the counter, her throat vibrating around his cock as he pushed back into her throat, then pulled back, her saliva connecting his cock to her lips still. He looked down at her, and couldn't hold back anymore. He needed to fuck—he had held back with the girls before, even thought he had greatly enjoyed it. But now he wanted to _fuck_.

He lifted Rachel with the tendrils, spinning her in midair, and bent her over the counter. She looked back at him over her shoulder as the tendril slipped out of her ass, and his still-wet cock now took its place, the head poking at the entrance.

“Fuck my little ass,” she said, and reached back, pulling her cheeks open.

He thrust into her, hard, fast, and deep, sliding his cock entirely inside of her. She cried out, her body slamming against the counter with the force of his thrust. The tendrils wrapped around her torso, going back to work on her breasts, tickling and sucking on her pert nipples, more wrapping around her thighs, pulling her legs apart, one sliding up between them, working its way deep into her wet pussy, another attaching itself to her clit.

Rachel cried out and moaned, her body shaking from sensory overload, Warren gripped her cheeks in both hands, and pulled his cock out, till just the head was inside, then shoved himself back inside, setting a rough, brutal pace, hammering at her backside. Rachel came again and again, her cum painting her thighs, running down over her calves...

Warren slammed into her again and again, quickly losing control as he let himself go. And once it came... his head tipped back and he literally howled as his cock erupted deep inside of Rachel, his body jerking, trying to thrust even deeper inside of her as he fired spurt after spurt of his hot cum deep into her. As it faded, he sagged to the floor, bringing her with him. She was a trembling mess, and gratefully accepted his embrace for a few minutes while they both laid there, slowly recovering.

Then, finally, she made her way to her feet, all be it a little shaky, and picked up her clothing. “Shower?” she asked, and Warren nodded, following her to the back. The dogs were all caged for the night, except for a couple, which were laying on big dog beds set out for them. There was a shower stall in the back corner. They took turns cleaning up, then redressed.

“Leaving?” Rachel asked, looking up at him.

Warren shrugged. “I can stay, if you want.”

She shrugged. “Doesn't matter.” She seemed to be reverting back to her normal self quickly.

He smiled. “I'll stay then.”

She shrugged again. “Suit yourself.”

There was a comfortable living space in the back as well, complete with a couch and a TV. She sat on the couch, and flipped on the TV. It was on some nature program, and she didn't bother changing it, so Warren simply sat next to her, relaxing for a bit. After a few minutes, Rachel leaned against him, and he put an arm around her shoulders simply.

Then she looked up at him. “I'm still going to punch her in her fucking face, you know.”

Warren sighed.

 

* * * * * * *

 

I stretched slowly, kicking the blankets off as I rolled over, onto my belly, burying my face in the pillow. The sun was being annoying, and shining through the windows, much like it was not supposed to do. I groaned, and finally sat up, looking down at myself...

And I froze. There was no denying it this time; my body was... different. My legs were fuller, more... shapely. I ran a hand over my thigh, and was surprised to feel fine hairs covering them. I needed to shave my legs... but I had never really needed to shave them before... and my breasts were definitely larger, creating actual visible lumps under my shirt. Looking at them, I slowly raised a hand, and covered one, giving it a little squeeze. Firm, yet soft. Like Missy's. I looked over at her, and compared. Sure enough, mine seemed to be almost a little bigger than hers, which had definitely not been the case even a few hours before. What in the hell was going on?

I looked over at Amy, still asleep, and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. “Amy?” I whispered. “Amy, wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered, and she yawned, mumbling something incomprehensible.

“Amy, please. I know, it's early, but... but I think something is wrong. Please wake up.”

One eye opened, and locked on me. It was bleary with sleep, and remained that way for a few seconds, then shot open all the way, and she sat up quickly, staring at me closely. I leaned back. “What happened?” Amy asked, panic dancing in her eyes. “Did I... did I do something?”

“What? No. At least I don't think so. But look, I have—”

She pressed a finger to my lips, glancing at Missy, still asleep. “Bathroom,” she said, and climbed out of the bed. I followed her, idly noting that instead of staring at the middle of her back as I walked behind her, my gaze seemed to be hitting a couple inches higher. It made me a little nervous. We slipped through the bedroom, where Lisa was sprawled out over the bed, wearing only a cute pair of panties. I couldn't stop the smile that covered my face when I saw her, spreadeagled out, snoring softly. Then we were into the bathroom. Amy turned me very deliberately so my back was to the mirror, holding my shoulders.

“Don't... don't freak out,” she said, and turned me around.

It took me a few seconds to realize what she was talking about. I stared back at myself in the mirror, noting that my cheeks were slightly slimmer, appearing more graceful than chubby with baby fat, my brown eyes were normal.... MY BROWN EYES WERE NORMAL.

I forgot how to breathe for a few seconds, and even waved a hand in front of my face, looking for my glasses with the projection to make my eyes look normal. “What... what's happening to me?” I croaked after a few seconds. I turned to Amy. “Look at me! I'm... I'm older! I have these!” I cupped my breasts. “I didn't have these last night. Look at my legs. Look at my butt!” I twisted in the mirror, standing on tippy-toe, sticking my rear out. It had always had a nice little curve to it, looking a little older than it should have, but... but this was something else! It was rounder, and as I ran a hand over it, softer, fuller, more mature. I winced when I realized I could feel my panties almost cutting into me—they were too small for me now. “My eyes... normal. Lisa liked my green eyes,” I said sadly.

Amy was frowning, looking me over. “I really don't know,” she said at last. “Let me try something, okay? I promise not to do anything without your express permission.”

I nodded, and she motioned for me to kneel on the floor. She knelt in front of me, sitting on her heels, our knees touching, and I copied her. She reached up, and I placed my hands in hers, and her eyes closed in concentration.

“Your makeup is changing,” she said after a few seconds. “Rapidly. It's strange, however. It's not... unusual. It... it's like whatever its changing was the abnormality, and it's reverting you to normal. But I can't tell how its getting this information; that's beyond me.”

“Lisa might be able to help,” I said, and Amy's eyes opened.

“Good idea. Let's go wake her.”

I stood, then thought again. “It would be best if you did,” I said softly. And brought her to me. I don't want...” _to change, and lose her_ the unspoken end of the sentence echoed in my head. Would Lisa leave me if I was changing? I didn't think so, but... but everything was terrifying right then.

Amy gave me a little smile of understanding, and then surprised me by pulling me close for a tight hug. I returned it fiercely for a moment. “We'll figure this out. I promise,” she said.

I nodded against her shoulder, and then she slipped back into the bedroom.

I looked back at the mirror, turning this way and that, looking at myself. I pulled up my shirt, and looked at my small breasts. They were just a touch bigger than Missy's, I decided. Firm, yet bouncy a little when I hopped in place. My nipples were the same shade of pink as always. I bit my lip as I lowered my shirt, and stared at my face in the mirror. It wasn't like I was looking at the normal, 11 year old me. No. I appeared to be about 14, maybe 15. It was weird, unusual. Terrifying. Who aged 3-4 years overnight? Would it continue?

The bedroom door slowly opened, and Lisa was standing there. She looked at me for a moment, then a smile came over her, and she held her arms up. I crashed into, hugging her as tight as I possibly could. No matter who else I had in my life, no matter who kissed me, had sex with me, or whatever... Lisa was my world, my heart, my life. She kissed my forehead, and I realized that I was no longer short enough for her to kiss the top of my head. I drew back and looked at her, into her eyes for a long moment.

“No more green,” I said sadly.

She just smiled. “You're just as beautiful now as you were then,” she promised, and stroked my cheek. “Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Let's figure this out, okay?”

I nodded, and once again, Amy lead us all to kneel on the floor, this time in a triangle, all of our knees touching. “I'll tell you anything and everything I can find with my power, and you tell me what you can make of it,” Amy said, and Lisa nodded. Amy took my hands in hers again, and closed her eyes once more.

“There are more changes, even since just a few minutes ago. But it doesn't feel wrong. It feels... right. And the more right, and natural these changes are feeling, the more wrong what they're undoing feels.”

Lisa frowned, and pursed her lips. “Do you mean, like the changes that are being unmade were put upon her?”

Amy shrugged slightly, her eyes still closed. “I'm not sure. I can't see where they came from, or how they came to be. Just that they're here, but they're being undone. Her body is aging, rapidly, but not indefinitely.”

“So it's accelerating in age to a specific point?” Lisa asked, to clarify.

Amy nodded. “Yes. That's what the changes are doing; aging her to a specific point. It's very... unusual. I have never seen anything quite like it. Can you feel them happening, feel anything coming over you?” she asked me.

Lisa glanced at me, and I shook my head. “Not really. Nothing hurts, or feels unusual. I just... wake up, and look different. It's disconcerting, and worrying.”

Lisa frowned. “I'm not getting much, to be honest. When you said she's aging to a specific point, it had the ring of truth about it; you're absolutely right. Can you see, or even just give an educated guess, as to what that point may be, and how long it will take her to reach it?”

Amy was silent for a long moment, then finally gave a soft little sigh. “I can't be sure, there's no real way for me to tell, but to the best guess I can give, it will be in the late teens, somewhere. And it should be finished, at the rate it's currently progressing, by this evening.”

Kneeling there, I frowned, and felt my stance suddenly shift as my hip literally popped, followed quickly by the other, and I toppled backwards, my hands slipping from Amy's. She gave a little giggle as I struggled to my feet. “You're going to need to find new clothes. And I would suggest removing the ones you have on.”

I nodded, feeling my panties cutting into my hips now, as they had just widened another couple of inches. I stood, and without a second thought struggled out of the shirt, which was becoming too small, then peeled the shorts and panties off. Glancing down at myself, I was surprised to notice a fair amount of pubic hair over my sex, and blushed. Lisa eyed it, then giggled. “Guess I'm not the only one that needs to shave today,” she mused.

Amy bit her lip for a moment, then coughed softly. “Um... I can... help with that, if you want.” She flushed slightly. “I mean, I can make the hair go away, so you don't need to shave.”

Lisa's eyes widened. “Oh gods yes, please!” she held up a hand quickly, and I laughed, despite everything. “Hey! You shush. I've had to shave for a few years already. It gets old, quick.”

Amy giggled, and took her hand in hers. “I used to do this for Victoria... she wouldn't let me make it permanent, I'm not sure why.”

“Make it permanent,” Lisa said at once, and Amy smiled, and nodded, holding her hand for a few seconds, then let it go. Lisa looked between us, then stuck her hand down her pants. “Ahh... smooth. Nice.”

“I'll be the judge of that later,” I said, winking at her.

Amy blushed again, but reached out for my hand. “Permanent?” she asked. I nodded, and she took it. Before our eyes the hair seemed to retract, and cease to exist in half a second. She let my hand go. “Also did your legs. And pits. For both of you,” she said softly, and stood. Lisa rose with her, and gave her a little hug.

“I um... just had a thought,” I said, blinking. Why hadn't I thought of it before?

Lisa nodded. “Well, what is it?”

I looked at her for a moment. “Last night, I talked to Warren, about the secrets. He has a block that's preventing him from being able to talk about it. I thought I might be able to write a program with KC that would override it, find a loophole. But now, I have a second idea.” I glanced at Amy. “You can see into the mind, right?”

Amy nodded. “Yes, but... I don't... I don't think it's a good idea to have me go messing around in his head.”

“But he can do what you can. Only he can do it to himself, right?”

Amy nodded. “From what I gather, yes.”

“Okay... so. If you were to look, and help him find the block, wouldn't be be able to change it himself, get rid of it?”

Amy bit her lip for a moment. “That... that might work.” She glanced between the two of us. “I can't make any promises, but we can definitely try.”

I grinned. “I think... I think whatever is happening to me is somehow related to those secrets. And the best thing for me is to find out what it is he's unable to tell me. So, let's try it. Lisa, you'll come with me, right?”

Lisa laid a hand on my arm. “You couldn't keep me away. But, let me take a shower first, and let's find you something to wear for the time, okay?”

I grinned, and nodded.

 

* * * * * * *

 

We had decided to do this at Amy's place, as it was a bit more quiet there than at ours. We took a cab over to the correct building, and headed inside. On the way, Lisa had called Warren, and asked him to meet us there, so it was to little surprise that we opened the door and saw him standing at the kitchen counter, a cool drink in hand. He raised it slightly as Lisa, Amy, and myself filed into the room, and shut and locked the door behind us.

“Ominous, when one is faced by not one, or even two, but three beautiful girls, and they lock the door,” he noted, with a little grin.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he seemed to notice the changes immediately, as his eyes widened slightly, and he looked over me closely. I was wearing a rather loose sundress, and nothing underneath—yet—but knew I had to look nearly a year older than I did when we left my apartment earlier. Missy had taken the news rather well, I thought, just appeared confused and concerned. She had wanted to come, but for the moment, I needed as few people as possible involved to cut down on possible distractions. She seemed to understand, and accept it.

Amy gave him a little smile. “It's quite all right, we just need some privacy with you. To try something.”

He nodded. “Okay. What?”

“Kelsey told me about you having some type of mental.. block. You have my powers, the same, as far as I can tell, but the block may be preventing you from seeing it, as well, knowing that you have the ability to change it within your mind. Her theory, and I think it is rather sound, is that if I help you locate the block in your mind, you can remove it yourself, and be able to tell her what it is that you can't now. We think that it may be somewhat related to what happened to her before, with the death-experience, and what is happening to her now.” Amy paused for a moment, and I stepped forward.

“It's no longer a question of trust, or worry that you may use this information to somehow turn on me, or us. I trust you, completely, and I just want to know if what you know can help me understand, and make me less... afraid.”

Lisa stepped forward next. “We understand that what we're asking of you is a great risk, but at the same time, Kelsey means a lot to us all. We need to know. Will you please try, and see if this helps?”

Warren looked between the three of us once, then nodded. “Of course.”

I smiled, Lisa grabbed my hand, and squeezed it tightly, and Amy drew a deep breath. “I see no reason to delay, should we start now?”

Warren smiled, and gestured at the table. “Shall we sit?”

Amy and Warren sat next to one another, and Lisa and I across from them. They turned to face one another, and Amy leaned forward, putting her fingertips against his temples. “I'll look, and guide you,” she whispered. Warren's hands came up, and gently covered her own on his head, and their eyes closed as they lapsed into nonverbal communication.

It seemed to last an hour, but in reality was far closer to a minute, before Amy suddenly drew a deep breath and held it, tensing. I tensed as well, not sure what to expect, but a few seconds later, she exhaled slowly, smoothly, and relaxed, and Warren's hands came away, still holding her own, and he blinked slowly.

“Strange,” he said.

“What is?” Lisa asked.

“I have lived for so long now with the block hidden from my own view, it was strange finding it right in front of everything, shielding itself. It's like living your life with one eye covered, then removing it suddenly. You're never prepared for what comes after.” He paused, and then looked at me with a smile.

“I suppose we have a lot to talk about, don't we.”

I shrugged slightly. “Can you... tell me? What it is that you couldn't before?”

He nodded. “First, what I'm going to tell you is going to come as a shock to all three of you. Second, I want you both, Amy, Lisa, to know that this changes nothing. We're still who we are. Okay?”

Lisa nodded, and I squeezed her hand even harder.

“To get the main point out of the way... we're not from this earth. Me and Kelsey. I know, that here, to you, this is not a wholly unique concept. But where we're from, it is. There are no other earths, no other planes of existence. We live in the most ignorant possible timeline, the one that refuses to look beyond. All that aside, in our world, in our reality, this world, this place is a fictional story. A novel, per say.” He paused, but no one spoke. “Kelsey and I, we were friends, and I had an idea, to create an RPG. We would create characters in this world, and wrote them down on character sheets with specific powers, and then that night, Kelsey started writing it down... and we woke up here.”

“How?” Lisa immediately asked.

Warren shrugged. “Of that, I do not know. Like I said, we went to sleep one night in our earth, and woke up here, both of us. I do not know if we died in our world, if something happened, or what. But we're here now, for good, it would seem. Kelsey here, on her character sheet, had a few specific traits picked for her character. She appeared younger than she was. Or is. She's in reality about... 18? Possibly 19. Forgive me, I'm a guy, I forget little details like that. She picked the trait of having the green eyes. Picked the Tinker powers and Vista's power set.”

I frowned. “I picked my own powers? Why can't I remember this?”

Warren gave a small, half-smile. “In addition to those, you picked a trait, to return points so that you could afford the power sets, of having a memory block on your old life. You would remember nothing about the old world, nothing about the story of this world, nothing about who you were. I picked what was almost the opposite, knowing everything, but being unable to speak of anything.”

“You know the story of our world? Past? Present?” Amy asked. “Did you know about Victoria?”

Warren shook his head. “I know of the story was it was told in our world. Since our arrival, we have thrown a bit of a wrench into that specific story line, and a lot that happened that I can remember didn't happen here at all, and other things did. One specific example, the Undersiders, in our world's story, never joined the New Wave. I don't want to go into too many details about that; it can create paradoxes, make you think about things in a manner that you shouldn't... it's best to leave it as is. Just know, that no, I did not know about Victoria, and if I could have, I would have saved her.”

Amy nodded slowly, tears swimming in her eyes again.

“So,” I said slowly, not wanting to be selfish and steer the conversation back to me, but I still had questions. “From what's happening to me now, it looks like I'm losing certain powers, or effects. Why?”

Warren shrugged. “That, I can only guess at. I would guess that it is linked to your second trigger event, where you nearly died. Somehow, your awakening in this world seems to be more real, more concrete than ever before, and it appears your character sheet is losing its hold over you. How far that will progress, I do not know.”

I looked at the ground for a moment, then clenched my fist. “You know what? I'm here. This is the life I remember. This is the world I remember. The people I love are here.”

Warren smiled a little. “You'd probably say the same thing in the other world. I mean, about this place. You didn't have much family. You weren't overly happy all of the time. You've been far happier here. I'm happier here as well, if it counts.”

I smiled, and leaned against Lisa. “Of course I'm happier here. Lisa is here.”

“You had a crush on her even before, you know. When you read the story. 'I want more about Tattle,' you would say. You loved her then. I'm not surprised at all that this transferred into a physical relationship here in this world.”

Lisa blushed a little, and leaned against me back, turning her head to face me. I looked back at her, and gave her a warm, heartfelt kiss, which she returned in kind. I slid my hand down her back, pulling out chairs closer together, and relaxed.

“So, we know I'm not dying then. Just changing. And this could affect more than it has. Okay. So we'll keep an eye on it. What happens happens. We deal with it, and go on, like we always have. And always will.”

Lisa nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Amy smiled a little at that too. “I'm just happy to be a help, honestly.”

I looked to her. “You're more than a help. You're a part of us, part of the family now. There's no leaving. Shall we head back home, tell Missy? Amy, you'll come as well, won't you?”

“One thing,” Warren interjected. “Kelsey... you're going to want to deal with Rachel. Sooner, rather than later.”

I paused, having totally forgot about her, and felt a wave of dread roll over me. “Oh... oh.”

Lisa patted my shoulder. “She'll be mad, but I'm sure she'll come around.”

Warren gave a little shrug. “Mad is a bit of understatement right now. I'm not really sure how you're going to make this one back up to her.”

“New dog?” I asked.

“Might be a good start, at the least,” Lisa mused. “We'll think of something. First Missy—she's very worried about you. Then we'll go to Rachel.”

I nodded. It felt good, having a plan of action. Knowing what Warren had been unable to tell me before. It felt good, knowing that I was becoming myself, for the first real time. And it felt good feeling happy, surrounded by loved ones, no matter what came at us.

 


	27. Chapter 27

I glanced down at my chest yet again, frowning slightly. The sun was setting outside, and I hadn't felt any more unusual pops or cracks as things grew out for a while. Missy was still sitting next to me, right where she had been ever since we got back. We were watching some stupid, random cartoon on the TV, and giggling together, like always. Nothing changed.

I was still me, and I held onto that as fiercely as possible.

Lisa walked into the room, eyeing me for a moment, then smiled. “Hey, you look the same as an hour ago. Maybe you're done?”

I shrugged, and glanced over at Amy, who was busy, her nose buried in her laptop computer. She glanced up, looking at Lisa, then gave a little “oh!” and hopped up, coming over to me. “I'll check.”

She sat next to me, and placed her hand on my cheek, looking into my eyes for a moment, then smiled. “I think it's done, I can't feel anything changing inside of her anymore.”

I grinned at that, and stood up. I hadn't gotten much taller—I was the same height as Missy, but a little fuller. My breasts a little larger, hips a little wider. Lisa came over and gave me a tight hug. “That sundress fits you now,” she joked, tugging at the bust.

I shrugged. “Guess we're about the same size now,” I said slyly.

She grinned again. “So it would seem.”

“I think it's time to go talk to Rachel now,” I said, and Lisa paused, then nodded, drawing a deep breath.

“You're right. No more putting it off. C'mon, let's get you properly dressed, then we'll head over there.”

Missy followed us into the bedroom. “You know, you're going to have to make a new costume for yourself now. Your old one isn't going to fit.”

I nodded a little. “Perhaps something a bit simpler. Or... I don't know, actually. I'll do that tomorrow. Maybe I'll make something super neat, and get Taylor to make me some more spider-silk stuff.”

“There's some high-quality stuff you can buy too,” Lisa pointed out. “In case Taylor's busy, I mean.” She dug through her drawers of clothes, and tossed me a pair of panties and a bra. “Try those on.”

I slipped out of the dress, and tugged the panties on first. They were form-fitting, but fit. They were a pale pink, with white lines across the bum, bikini cut. I remembered distinctly pulling them off of Lisa more than once, and felt a little tingle low in my belly at the thought they were now on me. The bra was a matching pink, and fit a little too snug, but well enough for the moment. Over the underthings, I pulled one of her long-sleeve V-neck shirts, white, showing a teasing hint of cleavage, and black leggings. As it turned out, me and Lisa had about the same foot size as well, so I borrowed a pair of her sandals, and did my hair in a quick ponytail, and we went out to the elevator, all three of us, as Lisa called us a cab. Outside, it took only a couple moments for the cab to arrive, and we piled into the back, Missy and Lisa sandwiching me into the middle of the back seat, and both making a point to touch me, teasing the poor driver as he drove us through town, towards Rachel's dog shelter.

For my part, I almost didn't even notice the teasing and touching. My mind was so focused on what was coming, what I would say, what I even could say as an apology to someone who loved their dogs more than life. And I had killed one of those dogs. It hadn't been intentional, but I doubted she cared about that. Accidental or not, she was going to hate me, and it bothered me. I didn't like being disliked; I did everything I could to be friends with everyone, and Rachel, while hard to connect with, had always been stout and loyal. I felt terrible, but at the same time...

The door popped open, and Missy hopped out. I followed her, slowly, dread and fear knotting painfully in my stomach. Lisa crawled out after me, slapping my bottom to get me to move out of her way as I stood in her way dumbly, staring at the building. There was a car out front. That was a good sign, I hoped. She wouldn't want to kill me in front of some random witness. I hoped.

Lisa turned back and paid the cabby, giving him a little flirtatious wave then closing the door. He stared at the three of us for a moment, then slowly pulled away, heading back into town.

Missy took my right hand, and Lisa my left, and we stood there for a few minutes. “Ready?” Lisa finally asked me softly.

I nodded, and started moving forwards. We walked up the long driveway, coming to the door. Missy checked the handle, and it was unlocked, so she opened the door, and we stepped into the main lobby. There was a girl behind the counter that I didn't recognize. She glanced up at us, sparing only one curious glance for our hands all linked together.

“Sorry, we're closed for the night. Emergencies will need to be taken to the on-call vet's office in town.”

“We're not here for a pet,” Lisa said. “We're here to see Rachel.”

That did get a little reaction from her. She looked at the three of us a little closer. “Are you friends of hers?”

“You could say that,” Lisa said with a little smile. “Is she in the back? We can find her if so.”

“Yeah. I'm getting ready to lock up and leave here, let her know the front is locked for me, will you?” she asked, and tapped some papers on the counter.

Lisa nodded. “Sure thing. Thanks. Have a good night.”

“Yeah. You too.” She turned away, focusing on getting out of there, and we headed around the counter, through the door into the back.

The first thing I noticed was how clean and orderly it was. Most dog shelters and the like I had been to were a little dirty and disorganized. They had crates stacked up, with dogs put here and there, most of the time with only the barest of “accommodations” for the pets. But this place... the dogs were in large, roomy crates that were lined with blankets and pillows, all of it clean. The floor was spotless, and the dogs were, for the most part, quiet. A few perked up as the three of us entered, and one or two gave a couple yaps, but it wasn't the angry type of bark, but rather a softer, more friendly bark. One that said “hey! Come pet me!”

We looked around for a moment, then finally spotted movement on the other side of the room, then Judas and Angelica, Rachel's two dogs, both poked their heads around a corner, and saw us. Judas wagged his tail, and started towards us, recognizing us immediately. Angelica turned and went back, and we started forward. It was only a few seconds before Rachel herself appeared around the corner ahead.

She wasn't wearing her usual baggy clothes, I noticed straight away. She was wearing her jacket, but it was over a nicer top, and her was wearing a nice pair of new-looking jeans. She stood staring at us for a moment, a little confusion in her eyes.

“Lisa. What do you want?”

Lisa smiled. “Hey. Nice place, it's very clean. I bet all the animals you've got here are very happy.”

Rachel glanced around, then shrugged, but didn't say anything. Lisa paused for a moment, then coughed a little and went on. “So, listen. Kelsey... has had a few things happen to her recently.”

“Fuck her. I don't care.”

Lisa winced a little, and I bit my lip to keep from saying anything just yet.

“Rachel, listen, please? Kelsey... she did what she did because at the time she didn't see any other option, okay? I was with her the entire time. I saw what she saw, and my power told me at the time there wasn't another way to accomplish what she did without Brutus getting caught.”

“If that's the case, why isn't she here?” Rachel demanded, crossing her arms. “Why did she send you in her place?”

“I am here,” I said softly, and let go of both Missy and Lisa's hands, stepping forward. “Like Lisa said... there's been some changes, recently. It's really quite a long story, but if you want to know, I'll gladly tell you.”

Rachel's eyes bored holes clear through me. “Fuck you, fuck your story.”

I winced, visibly. “I'm so sorry, Rachel. If there had been any other way..”

“You wouldn't know about it. Cause you didn't fucking think, you just fucking acted. Fuck anyone else's feelings.”

“That's not how it was,” I protested weakly. “I had a choice, stop Crawler then and there, or lose Amy.”

“Or you could have waited, and stopped Crawler and maybe caught Amy in your blast instead. Then Brutus would still be here.”

“But then Amy wouldn't,” I pointed out.

“Am I supposed to care?” Rachel demanded.

I wanted to snap at her, to point out that at no point in time ever was Brutus's life at an equal or superior value to Amy's to me, but I didn't. Because I knew that for her, the reverse was true, and I couldn't—and wouldn't—put down her loss at any point in time. I had to find another way to rationalize it. Another way to explain to her the reasoning.

“Yes,” I said softly. “Because you're part of us, part of the team. Part of the family that is our group.”

“Fuck that. I am not.”

“Hear me out, please? Victoria had just been killed. Amy was in panic mode. Her parents were down. New Wave—the original core of the group—was in very real danger of being ripped asunder. Without Amy, how would their family recover? There was more at stake than just Brutus or Amy. Amy has to step up now, and take the place that Glory Girl held. She has to become the glue that holds her family together, and the link between us, the Undersiders, and the New Wave. We need her. And I can guarantee that Brutus would gladly give his life, so that we might live. He was a good dog, a noble dog.”

“You didn't know him. Shut up.”

I held up a hand. “Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just saying, from what I saw, he was a good dog. He wouldn't want us to fight, for you to hate because he's gone. Mourn him, love him, but honor him.”

Rachel looked away. “Am I supposed to just stand here, listen to you spout off a few words, then we hug, and make up?”

“That would be nice,” Missy said softly, and when Rachel shot her a glare, she blushed and bowed her head. “Sorry.”

“Tell me what you want me to do,” I said, almost desperately. “What I have to do to show you that I don't hate you. That I don't want you, or your dogs dead. That I'm really very sorry about Brutus. That I want to be your friend.”

Rachel hopped up on the edge of the counter, crossing her legs, and looked at me for a long moment. Judas sat in front of her, and Angelica laid down on the other side, just her nose peeking into view. “You really want to prove it to me?”

I nodded.  "Please, tell me how.”

I didn't really know what she was thinking about, but I figured it wouldn't, and couldn't be too hard. Working for the dogs for a while, perhaps. Doing something to atone. I was willing to do that. What I was not ready for was...

“Fuck Judas.”

“W....what?” I asked, even as Missy jerked, and Lisa snorted.

“Be real, Rachel,” Lisa said.

“You asked. That's what I want. I want to see you on all fours, getting fucked like a bitch.”

I licked my lips, and looked back and forth between both of my support girls. They were both shocked, speechless. But something low in my belly actually... stirred at the thought. “You want me to fuck your dog, and then we'll be good? No anger, and we'll be friends again?”

“Don't push it, with the friends thing,” Rachel snapped. “But yes, we'll be good. No more anger. No more issues. Are you going to do it or not?”

I bit my lip, and looked at Judas. He was a bigger dog, I wasn't sure which breed, and fairly muscular. He looked back at me, and I could swear he understood exactly what the conversation was, and was watching for my response. There was even a little hint of eagerness in his eyes.

“Rachel, she can't... can't fuck a dog,” Lisa said, but I laid my hand on her arm.

“I'll do it,” I said, softly, then repeated, more firmly. “I'll do it.”

Rachel smiled. “Good. C'mere.”

I walked over to her slowly, Missy and Lisa moving together and waiting where we had been standing. When I got to Rachel, I crouched down, and ran my hand over Judas's head, scratching his ears, making him tilt his head, his tongue rolling out of his mouth as he panted happily.

“Follow,” Rachel said simply, hopping off the counter and leading the way out of the room, a short whistle making Judas jump up and follow as well. I trailed along after her, and she lead me to the back room. There was a bed there, a couch, a TV, and some other sparse furnishings. She looked at me for a moment, then grabbed my shoulder, pushing me towards the bed, and pulling my shirt up as she did so. I took it off, and she unhooked my bra, pushing it over my shoulders. I stripped it off, and glanced at Judas. He was watching us closely, panting slightly. Rachel turned me towards the dog, and, still standing behind me, drew my leggings down my legs, taking my panties with them, and pushed my shoes off, slipping them off one foot, then the other. Once I was fully nude, she patted the bed, and Judas hopped up on it, standing, watching both of us closely. I noticed his sheath opening, and the tip of a very red doggy dick beginning to poke out.

“Don't worry,” Rachel whispered in my ear, noticing what I was looking at. “He's trained, he knows how to fuck a girl.”

“Did you train him?” I asked softly.

Rachel ran her hands down my back, to my bottom, and gave it a squeeze, pushing me forward onto the bed. “Yes,” she said simply.

I crawled forward, and Rachel pushed my hip, making me fall on my side. Judas immediately moved, standing over my head, expectantly, his back legs braced on one side, front on the other. Rachel looked at me for a moment, then snickered. “It ain't gonna suck itself.”

I looked up at the tip of the cock peeking out of the sheath, and slowly raised my head, until it was a mere inch or two away from my lips. I had never done anything like this, but honestly....

Was it so different than sucking Warren's dick? What was he, if not just a more humanoid dog?

My mouth opened, my tongue came out, and touched the tip of the cock, teasing it. Judas whimpered just a little, and his cock began to grow, more and more sliding out of his sheath, sliding right into my open lips. I sucked the narrow, tapered head eagerly into my mouth. It was hot, hotter feeling than any human cock I could remember, and smooth. Almost tasteless, but with a flavor that was hard to pinpoint floating on the edge.

I ran my tongue up and down the smooth surface of the cock again, feeling it grow even more in my mouth. It was getting to be a rather impressive size very quickly, filling my mouth, sliding into my throat a little. Judas's hips began to shake, like he was beginning to try to fuck.

Rachel ran her hand over his back, and he moved away from my head, slipping his cock out of my mouth. “Roll over,” she told me. I did so, spreading my legs and getting on my knees and elbows. Judas seemed to know immediately what to do, nosing between my thighs, his cold nose tracing over my pussy, making me shiver for a moment before he jumped up, his forelegs wrapping around his waist. I felt Rachel moving behind me, then her cool fingers traced the line of my sex, parting my lips, her fingers briefly pushing into me. I gasped at the sudden intrusion, and the realization that I was extremely wet as her fingers slid very easily into me. They pulled back, and were quickly replaced by the doggy dick, the smooth tapered head pushing in. Then Rachel moved around to my front, watching my face, and she snapped her fingers.

Judas thrust home, slamming his full dick into me all at once. My mouth opened in a wordless, soundless cry. The dick slid easily into my tight little wet tunnel, piercing in deep, his hips pushed up hard against my bottom. Rachel grinned, and slid her fingers, wet with my juices, into my mouth. I sucked them clean, moaning very faintly as she nodded at Judas, and he began to move, quick and hard, full thrusts, his cock coming nearly the entire way out then hammering home, the tip of his cock pressing my cervix.

Rachel watched for a few moments, my body shaking with his thrusts, my mouth hanging open, and suddenly she growled, unsnapping her jeans and pulling them off quickly. She wasn't wearing anything underneath them. She looked at me, and then sat in front of me, spreading her legs wide.

“You breathe a word, I'll fuck you up,” she breathed, then grabbed my hair and pulled my face down into her pussy.

I didn't care—I was losing myself in the naughty affair, the taboo of it all, the feeling of the long hard doggy dick deep inside me, hammering away, and opened my mouth, sliding my tongue between her lips, taking a long taste of her sex. She was tangier than Missy or Lisa, but still good in her own way. I moaned into her pussy as she clenched her fist in my hair, rocking her hips up fiercely against my face as I stuck my tongue as far into her fuck-hole as I could, Judas's hips hammering against my own faster and faster, ever escalating...

I rolled Rachel's clit between my lips, sliding a hand up to push two fingers deep into her pussy. She cried out a little at that, and then clenched around me, moaning as I bit her clit gently, then pressed my tongue against it.

Judas was hammering at me faster and faster, his doggy hips moving in a blur, his cock swelling inside of me. I knew about dogs and their knots, and could feel the base of his cock swelling, growing in anticipation of his ejaculation. It was hammering at the entrance of my pussy, pushing against my lips and walls, but I was a little too small and tight for the knot to slip in. That didn't stop him from trying, driving his hips harder, his thrusts getting more and more aggressive as he tried to get his knot inside of me before he came, my body jerking with the force of his thrusts, my fingers sliding in and out of Rachel, matching the rhythm of his thrusts, my tongue rapidly flicking over her clit. She had both hands in my hair, holding me against her, watching Judas pound away...

I began to cum, unable to take the stimulation anymore, my pussy clenching and contracting around the doggy dick inside, and Judas jerked, thrusting harder and harder, then it was like he turned on a hose inside of me, filling me with his hot cum, running out over my thighs. Rachel clenched hard on my fingers as she came right after, her hips bucking up against my face harder and harder. I cried out as I came again, unable to stop it, feeling the hot cum leaking from my pussy, my mouth filling with Rachel's cum...

I sagged as Judas pulled off, and hopped off the bed, moving to the corner and licking himself clean. I collapsed onto the bed, but Rachel wasn't done with me yet. She slid out from under my head, and pushed my hips up higher again, licking up my thighs, cleaning them of the trails of doggy cum, then closed her lips over my sex, and began to lick and suck the doggy cum right out of me. I moaned, and clenched my fists in the sheets below me as she used her fingers to scoop it out, fingering me hard and fast while doing so, her tongue scooping cum out...

Before I knew it, I was cumming a third time, and went completely limp, falling forwards, losing all pretense at support and falling on my face, essentially. Rachel slapped my bottom, and sat up, wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

“You're not as bad as I thought you were,” she said at last.

I moaned in reply.

“If you ever want a good doggy fuck, you know where to come.”

I nodded, and pushed myself upright, slowly, turning to look at her. “That... was better than I expected.”

She smiled a little lopsidedly. “Once you go doggy, it's hard to go anything else.”

“I didn't know you liked girls,” I observed.

She shrugged. “Sex is sex. If it feels good, then it's good. Fuck labels and stereotypes.”

I nodded slowly. “Makes sense. But I think I should get back to the others, and get back home for tonight. I'll see you later?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

I got dressed, and shakily walked out to where Lisa and Missy were waiting. They smiled at me, and helped me outside, while we waited for a new cab to take us home.

 

* * * * * * *

 

The next morning dawned clear and cool, and I was up with the sun, in the shower before anyone else was awake. I scrubbed myself as clean as I could, luxuriating in the warm water, relaxing for the first time in what felt like several days. What felt like nearly an hour later, I finally shut the water off, and stepped out of the spray, wrapping a towel around my body and moving back into the bedroom. Missy was still asleep, but Lisa met me at the door, giving me a little kiss before she slipped past me to take her own shower. I picked out a few of her things that would fit me for the day, and once she was out, we headed out, credit cards in hand.

A few hours later—and dozens of bags later—I had a new wardrobe and we were headed back to the apartment. We spent another couple of hours de-tagging the clothes and putting it into the wash, then I finally turned my attention to the next issue I had to tackle—my suit and costume. I pulled out my laptop and flicked it open, popping an earpiece in to talk to KC.

And that's when I realized something was extremely, very wrong.

The code rolling past my screen was completely illegible. I had no idea what I was looking at. I blinked, and looked at it again, but it made no more sense than it had a few seconds before. I looked up, and caught Missy watching me, a bit of concern on her face, and I wondered what I must look like as I realized, slowly...

That I was no longer a Tinker.

I shut the laptop, and tapped the viewport of my suit, and it opened as per usual for me. I sat inside, the seat only realistically just a touch too small for me now, and ran my fingers over the controls, searching for the innate knowledge. I could remember what a few did, but others, that I would remember as I touched them, felt their layout... were gone to me. I flipped open a compartment, and looked over my tools within, feeling a sense of confusion and detachment as I looked at the strange, unfamiliar components. Wires wrapped around screwdrivers, but why? What purpose had that served? What... what was that hammer with the bending neck for? How was that even useful?

“KC, I... I think I lost my power,” I said softly.

[Do you want to initiate emergency protocol?] she asked in my ear.

I closed my eyes for a long moment, breathing hard, trying not to cry, trying not to break into a thousand pieces. “I don't know what that means,” I finally whispered.

[Voice pattern analysis confirms, identity Kelsey. I am unclear. You seem to be yourself but are not acting per normal routines.]

I winced. “It is me, KC... but... I'm changing.. changed. Whatever. I don't... what are the emergency protocols?”

[Clearance denied. Please exit the system.]

I bit my lip, then knowing myself, stepped out of the suit, and removed the earpiece. The hatch snapped shut quickly behind me. Missy was at my side in an instant. “What's wrong?”

I looked at her, then spread my hands, looking at them for a long moment. “I... I lost it,” I said softly.

I saw my own pain reflected in her eyes. She understood immediately what I meant, and hugged me, fiercely, tightly. “We'll figure this out. Can you still, you know, warp stuff?”

I looked around, then tried to reach out, like I could before, pulling at the fabric of reality, but there was absolutely nothing there. I felt bile rise in my throat, along with my heart, and a hard sob become lodged there with everything else. It was like missing a part of yourself that you never realized had been there until it was gone, and being unable to accurately even recall what that part of you had felt like. I was breathing hard and fast, unsure of what to do exactly.

Lisa came out of our room behind us, and arched an eyebrow. “Did I miss something?”

I looked at her, panic, grief, tears in my eyes. “I lost it all,” I said. “It's all gone.”

Lisa pursed her lips, then nodded slowly. “I thought you would.”

“You knew?” I asked, incredulous.

“Knew? No. But I suspected, when Warren told us everything. You're changing away from what you were. A fake... embodiment of someone in this world. You're becoming yourself here. You triggered. You have new powers.” She shrugged slightly. “When the others began to fade, I figured the rest would as well. You've broken the 'spell' of sorts that was over you before. You're now legitimately in our world. This world. I imagine sometime rather soon, your memory will begin to return as well.”

“I don't want it to. I don't want to know. I'm happy here.”

Lisa smiled a little. “You don't look so happy right about now.”

I sniffed. “That's not fair. You know what I meant.”

“I did, but the point still stands. Life isn't going to be all peaches and cream all of the time anywhere you are, you know that, right?”

I nodded. “I'm well aware. That's not why I don't want to remember.”

“Then why?”

I shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to freak out about my powers being gone. I wanted to yell, scream, kick, fight. I wanted... “Why didn't you tell me that this would happen?”

Lisa cocked her head to the side. “Would it have helped ease it, or would you have spent every moment from then until now worried about it, obsessing over it, dreading it?”

“Lisa,” Missy admonished softly. “Don't... don't be mean.” She hugged me a little tighter, as if to protect me.

“I'm not being mean,” Lisa said softly. “I'm being honest. You've had a good day. You've been happy all day until now. I wouldn't take that from you. Telling you about something—that I didn't even know for sure would happen—would have been mean. Taking that happiness away would have been mean. I love you, Kelsey. Now, then, tomorrow, forever and always. You'll always have my support. And from time to time, you'll have my tough love too.” She gave me a little smile. “So I ask you again, why don't you want to remember?”

I looked away.

How could I explain that I was already remembering small bits and pieces, small fragments, visions and flashes coming through. And none of them were happy, but that made me even more nervous. More nervous that... that I would remember someone I loved more than Lisa. Someone that made me hate where I was, what I was doing.

“Kelsey,” Lisa said smoothly, coming a little closer, drawing my eyes back to her. “It's okay. You can tell us anything.”

“Because... I'm scared,” I finally admitted, and let it pour out. And not just the fear, but the pain of the loss of my powers. The tears, the frustration, the dread of everything, the rush from the past few days, the pain of losing a friend in Victoria, everything. I was a heap, a sobbing mess, an absolute disaster...

What felt like an hour later, the tears finally dried up, and the sobs stopped. We were all on the couch, my head in Lisa's lap, Missy holding my legs, both of them totally focused... on me.

I felt remarkably ashamed about then. Embarrassed and foolish. How selfish was I?

I sat up, and rubbed my cheeks angrily. “I'm okay,” I said a few times, and stood up.

“You sure? Do you need anything?” Missy asked.

I shook my head. “No. Maybe. A walk. Some space. I just need to think for a moment, okay? I promise, I'm okay. I'll be back in a couple minutes.”

Missy nodded slowly, and hugged me again. Her soft lips found mine, and for a moment, I was tempted to stay instead, to lose myself in her warmth and taste. It felt like forever since I had lost myself with both of them with me. Lisa hugged me right after, kissing me as well, her soft, warm tongue sliding into my mouth for a moment, brushing mine with a tender caress that left me wanting more.

I sniffed, scrubbed my cheeks some more, and hurried out before they changed my mind.

I was in the elevator, and heading down a few seconds later, my mind spinning like a maelstrom. I only knew one thing: Warren had had vials. Vials gave powers. Warren might have more vials, or know to get more. I needed one of those vials.

I knocked at his apartment, but no one answered. I bit my lip, and then finally pulled out my KC earpiece again, and stuck it in my ear.

“KC,” I whispered, barely above a breath.

[Yes?]

“You're my VI,” I said, trying to convince myself as much as I was the program. “I made you. I programmed you. I can't remember how I did it, but I did. I lost my Tinker powers. I doubt the thought ever crossed my mind to encode a failsafe in case this ever happened. I'll need to talk to Dragon about getting this corrected. But in the meantime... I need your help, KC. Master locks for the building; unlock Warren's apartment.” I knew I had wired KC into the entire building. I knew I had encoded things like this, never intending to use them.

There was a pause, then, [Affirmative. Action completed.]

I gave a soft sigh of relief, then tried the handle, and found it unlocked. I pushed the door open, trying to hold back the very real feeling that what I was doing was, in a very real way, breaking and entering. I closed the door softly behind me, and tip-toed through every room, making sure Warren wasn't lurking around, waiting to pounce on me as I rounded a corner or the like.

Then, I finally set to work looking for the vials. I started in his room, and hadn't spent ten minutes looking before a briefcase, semi-buried in his closet, caught my attention. Sitting on the edge of his bed, I pulled the case into my lap, and flipped it open slowly.

And there, before me, were the vials. Five slots were cut into the foam that lined the case, but one was empty. The third from the right. I looked over them each carefully, but there were no labels or distinctions between the four that remained. I pulled one out and rolled the vial carefully between my fingers, looking closely at the dark liquid that had been within. I remembered seeing it when Emma had taken hers, and remembered her screams. I bit my lip, and carefully set the one back, and pulled out another, looking it over carefully before carefully placing it back into the foam slot. I held my hand over them, moving it back and forth, seeing if I could get any sense from any of the four in particular. Any idea, any glimmer, of what one might give me.

For a long moment, I wished I was Lisa, with her ability of gleaning knowledge from seemingly nothing, from reading between the lines and knowing things without ever being told them. How useful it would be now to look at these, and understand them in more depth, to know what one would do.

Finally, I growled at myself, knowing that any moment now Warren was bound to walk through the door, catch me red-handed, disown me, throw me out... I couldn't simply ask him for one of these. I knew he would probably give me one, but he would want Lisa and Missy to know. He would want Amy there, just in case.

And he would be there, just in case....

Just in case I turned out like...

Well. The name still eluded me, but as hints and fragments of my past life continued returning to my mind, so did parts and pieces of the story that I was currently embedded in. And part of that story, I could remember, revolved around a certain someone going nearly insane from taking a vial.

I was willing to take the risk, and I know Warren trusted me enough to let me take it.

But at the same time, I knew he was unwilling to risk the others, and if that happened with me, he wouldn't hesitate in stopping me. He would kill me, if he absolutely had to, even if it destroyed him to do it. It was in his nature, and I was not going to put him, or anyone else, in that position.

I finally grabbed the second vial from the right, next to the empty slot, and slipped it into a pocket, and returned the briefcase to where I had found it. I locked the door, and went back to the elevator, and punched in the rooftop access code once again. It was, thankfully, empty as I stepped out onto the roof, and walked to the edge, staring down at the street several stories below. As one of the tallest buildings in our area, we had a rather commanding and impressive view of the entirety of Brockton Bay, and I enjoyed it for a few minutes before my hand, of its own accord and will, found its way into my pocket, and pulled out the vial.

I raised it before me, turning it in my fingers again, watching the dark liquid swirl within.

Then, with a flare of determination and fierce resolve, I put my thumbnail to the wax seal, cutting through it, twisting the cork out with a sharp motion. I waved the vial beneath my nose, breathing in deep, but didn't get much of any smell.

I paused only a moment as I put it to my lips, looking over the city. “Gods help me,” I whispered, and flipped it up, draining it in a single go. I swallowed it quickly, taking a deep breath. It hadn't tasted like much more than water, but felt thick and oddly heavy as I felt it sliding down my esophagus, into my belly. Then it hit, and for a moment, I was silent, still...

Then my back arched as pain unlike anything I had felt before, surpassing that which the S9 had inflicted upon me, and even the moment of my “death”, flooded through every ounce and fiber of my being. My mouth opened to scream, but fire seemed to pour down my throat, taking away my voice and breath, and all I could do was stand, thrashing, my feet seemingly anchored to the ground for an endless long moment that stretched into eternity, shattering my psyche and bringing with it a haunting vision that faded as soon as it came.

A being, a celestial, great being of existence, slid through the cosmos, weakened, tiring... it came across Earth, a shining pearl in the black sea of space, and rays of itself broke away, parts and pieces raining down across the landscape, touching some, passing others, laying dormant everywhere...

I blinked and it was gone, sliding from memory like a faint dream. I was suddenly sagging against the railing, panting and heaving for breath, my hands locked around the metal bar in my hands, clutching it tightly, anchoring myself down.

As my breathing returned to normal, and my scattered thoughts and mind came back together like a puzzle slowly falling into place, I blinked a few times and looked around the rooftop. I was still alone, but a new... sensation burned in my mind. I closed my eyes, and stretched it, looking down, through myself...

I could see, feel, sense the lay of the building beneath me in a very base way. I could feel the bar in my hands in more ways than one, and as I reached out, through the new sense in my mind, I felt the bar rip free of its housings. My eyes snapped open, and I _pushed_ mentally, throwing my hands up. The bar rocketed away, then snapped to an absolute stop as I willed it so, mere feet away from smashing into the next building. I pulled it back to me, and it slapped into my hand, obeying my every thought.

_Metal,_ I realized quickly. _I can control metal._

I smiled to myself, and opened my hand, willing the bar to stay afloat in midair, and it did. I looked around, and pushed down against the metal below me. Being of far superior mass to myself, and for the most part unable to move straight down, I suddenly rocketed upwards, twenty, thirty, forty feet into the sky. I opened my mouth to scream, but instead I was laughing, holding myself in midair, then letting myself drop slowly, straight back down, until my feet were once again on the rooftop.

The elevator door opened, and Lisa came out, looking straight at me intently. “What did you do?” she asked, and I saw Missy behind her, pale, worried.

I smiled at them both, and pushed behind me, jumping/flying across the roof to them. I landed lightly before them. Missy's eyes were wide. “You got new powers!” She exclaimed. “And you can fly!”

“In a sense,” I said, still smiling broadly.

“How?” Lisa demanded immediately.

I wouldn't lie. Not to Lisa. Ever. “I took one of Warren's vials.”

“Some walk,” she snorted.

“I had my reasons,” I said, then smiled again. “Besides. I'll tell him. Soon. I promise. For now, can we not worry about someone being mad at me for something, and just be happy?”

Lisa pretended to think about it for a second, then smiled a little. “I guess that's reasonable.”

I smiled at her, then winked, and shot into the sky again, twirling around, experimenting with pushing and pulling in various directions to push me around thirty feet above the building before coming back down.

Lisa whistled. “You really can fly.”

I winked at her. “In a sense.”

“A sense,” she repeated blandly.

I nodded. “Yep yep.”

“Do explain,” she said, crossing her arms under her breasts.

“Metal,” I said simply. “I can control metal.” I held out my hand, and the lose pole whistled across the roof to slap into my palm. I twirled it around like a baton, and then let go, making it hover in midair before me. “Seems that pushing against things bigger than me makes me move instead. At least, so far. I haven't tried very hard yet.”

Lisa pursed her lips. “Useful.”

Missy gave me a tight hug, which I returned, then kissed her, this time slipping my tongue into her mouth. She gave a little moan as I sucked her tongue into my mouth, and caressed it. Lisa tapped my shoulder for her turn, and I gave her just as passionate a kiss. “Shall we go in?” I asked, a little breathless, when we parted.

Lisa smiled. “Thought you'd never ask.”

 


	28. Chapter 28

“Where is this place?”

“Would you, for once, just shut the fuck up and be patient?”

“Well, something definitely crawled into your panties this time and died.”

“Fuck off.”

“And is apparently quite prickly, to boot.”

“There is nothing in my panties. The only thing 'prickly' is your incessant chatter. Shut up.”

“Without chatter, where would we be? I mean really. We would be bored, tired... face it, I keep life interesting on trips like these.”

“You could keep life a lot more interesting by shutting the fuck up.”

“Now, now. There's no reason to be uppity. Come on, let's play a game instead. I spy, with my little eye... something... green.”

“Trees. Lots and lots of fucking trees. Now shut the fuck up.”

“You're no fun.”

“So I've been told.”

“Sexy, however.”

“Shut the fuck _up_ already, seriously.” She turned in her seat, staring out the window, trying to ignore the man next to her, who was kicked way back in his seat, his feet propped up against the row of seats in front of them. The bus wasn't really all that comfortable, but it at least was viable transportation for the two trying to make it to Brockton Bay well under the radar.

“You know,” he began, and she gave a hard sigh, turning towards him, using her powers before she even realized it.

“Shut. Up.”

He froze, unable to even blink. She flushed as she realized her mistake, and released him from her grip. He sagged, and shook slightly, reaching down and gently moving her hand from where it had landed on his leg to freeze him. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Just trying to ease the boredom.”

“I know.” She looked away, out the window again. The bus was flying down the interstate, but by her math, they were still several hours outside of the city. She looked around the bus again, and grimaced. Filled with sweating, ignorant souls, it stank, was hot, uncomfortable, and unpleasant on all counts. “I say, we say fuck this plan.”

He perked up at once. “Serious? Like, you're not messing with me, are you? No more bus?”

She shook her head. “No more bus. Get us out of here.”

“Gladly.” He reached out for her hand, and she placed her fingers in his. He grasped her tightly, then everything around them seemed to rock, forwards and back, and then they were standing on the street as the bus went on down the dark road. They glanced around, and hurried to the side of the road. “Love doing that.”

“You just love the side-affects.”

“Speaking of which...” he eyed for a moment, and adjusted his crotch.

She rolled her eyes. “Really? Here? Now?”

He shrugged. “Hey, the mind wants what the mind wants.”

She sighed, but nodded. He grinned as he stepped closer, wrapping one arm around her and bringing her tightly against his chest, lowering his mouth to hers...

She had taken the name Genesis for herself, and honestly, it was the only name she had been known by for several years now. She had taken the name because of her powers, which revolved around creation, and time. She was a master-class Tinker, though she had lacked the funds to do anything big and the contacts to make herself well known. She had the ability and the knowledge to take something, such as random scrap metal, and make it into something new, unique, and useful. She also had the same ability while working on biological material, such as animals and plants. Living material. She could do things like what Bonesaw was known for, and more. On top of that, she could freeze things in time. Anything she touched, frozen in that moment, indefinitely stretching into eternity until she consciously released the person/item frozen. She had found no limits to that power aside from the basic rule of touch—she had to be able to touch it to do it.

He had taken the name Fantasia, despite the slight feminine sound of the name. It suited him well, she decided. His powers were unlike most others she had ever encountered, and came with some interesting side effects. He had the ability to transform his reality around him, to phase through walls, items, even people, by changing the way he perceived things. He could extend this effect to anything he was touching, bringing items, or people, with him through other things. But it went beyond just being able to phase through things; he could also change his reality in different ways, creating obstacles, traps, even weapons that worked perfectly as he imagined them to do so. He could summon into reality bridges over rivers where there were none, towers, where before it had been flat, rock, where before there had been dust and grass. He could change the very fabric of the world around him and of himself, making himself larger, stronger, physically altering his appearance. His, however, had somewhat of a time limit. Things that he summoned tended to fade once he left the area, fading away faster the farther away he went from it.

The side effect that so gripped him now, unfortunately for her, was the fact that whenever he used his powers, he both gained the ability to see through everyone's clothing around him—at least, normal clothing. Things of little sustenance pretty much ceased to exist to his eyes, which meant that typically, he saw anyone he looked at while using his ability naked. And the other side of the coin was that it drastically heightened his sexual drive; making him unable to contain what normal people would call “basic” and normal urges... for him they became impossible to resist.

She had to admit, just a little, however, that she somewhat enjoyed the side effects from time to time. She never wanted for sex, that was sure.

He kissed her hard, running his hands down her back, over her hips, then around her bottom, squeezing the soft cheeks and pulling her into him. She moaned just a little, her mouth opening wider under his as his tongue invaded and dominated her oral cavity.

“I love your ass,” he murmured against her lips, kissing her again.

“You always have,” she retorted, then gasped as he squeezed her bottom harder. And it was true; she might have only been fourteen years old currently, and he sixteen, but ever since she had been born, he had loved playing with her, touching her, feeling her...

She closed her eyes as his lips moved down her neck, losing herself in thoughts and memories. Most people would call what she had been through abuse, molestation, but she had never thought of it like that. She had grown up in a very loving home. At least, it had been for a few years. Her mother and father both had been very open sexually with their children, and when she had been born, used her to teach their son about the female form and body. When she had been six years old, her father had taken her virginity with a small toy, and begun training her how to please boys. He taught her by using his son as a living doll, and their mother taught their son by using her as a doll in return. So the siblings had grown together, playing together, loving one another, fucking one another.

When she had been ten years old, they had been going to visit some other family members, their mother's sister, who raised her own children in much the same fashion. The siblings loved their visits with their cousins, and were being loud and excited in the back seat. Their father, driving, turned his head to yell at them, as their mother was already doing to little effect. As such, neither of them had seen the truck in the oncoming line cross the center divider. Neither of them noticed until the cars hit head on.

Both of their parents were killed almost instantly, but the kids had survived. Months in the hospital and rehab later, they had been released, and put into their foster home. The father liked to beat on her, and worked him almost to the bone. It wasn't very long until he triggered, and shortly after, in a fit of rage over his “son” escaping with his new powers, he took it out on her, and she had triggered as well. And ever since then, they had been on the run, moving from place to place, avoiding the system, avoiding law enforcement, staying as low profile as possible.

Low profile, however, did not really meet the current situation; standing in the middle of an empty road as the bus rocketed on down the road, completely unaware that it had lost two of its passengers, his mouth on one bared breast, one hand covering the other, the other holding her leg up around his waist. She bit her lip as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“Not that I mind, really, but... shouldn't we get someplace a little more... covered?” she panted as he ground his hips in a circle against her. She gasped and moaned, and he snickered slightly, then pulled her other leg up, carrying her off the road, into the trees. A short ways off the road, in the very dim moonlight filtering through the branches over head, he went to his knees, and gently lowered her onto her back. She looked up at him, breasts bare and exposed, as he pulled his pants open, then reached down, using his power to morph her clothing for the moment, the crotch of her shorts opening like a portal to expose her soft sex to his hungry eyes.

He was driving his hard length into her velvety grip a second later, his back arching as he lowered himself on top of her, hips pushing hard into hers, his whole cock buried to the hilt into her liquid heat. When he began to move, she worked her hips in a circle under him, pushing up as he pushed down, pulling back as he did so, fucking herself on his cock harder and harder, panting softly with every thrust. He bit her neck, but not too hard, just the way she liked it, and she cried out, wrapping her arms around him, her ankles locking in the small of his back as his pace accelerated.

Before she knew it, he was pounding into her, slamming her soft bottom into the hard ground over and over. On a normal day, it would have hurt. In a normal situation, it would leave her with tears in her eyes.

In this situation, it made her cum. She bit her lip harder as her body shook and spasmed, her pussy clenching on his hard shaft plundering her depths. She cried out softly as he kept fucking her, harder and harder, then growled as he pushed harder against her, and she felt the thick warmth fill her lower belly as his cum poured into her womb, his cock pressed so tightly against her cervix that it was shooting straight through it.

For a moment, she laid under him, clinging to him just as tightly, breathing hard, feeling his length slowly soften within her. She wondered idly what it would be like, to get pregnant, to carry her brother's baby, to bring a little life into this world...

But she couldn't. Not yet. A baby would slow them down. At her age, it would bring too many questions. They would get found, taken back to foster homes, and endure more of whatever hell the state decided they should.

It was not something she was about to succumb to again.

Finally, he rose up, and imagined a towel into existence, wiping himself off. “Again?” he asked her.

She bit her lip, but nodded.

He put a hand over her belly, and with his powers, altered the makeup of his cum, then, as she sat up, it ran out of her, water-like, onto the dirt under her. She stood, and used the towel to dry herself off, and he returned her clothing to their normal state, and they went back to the road. A few seconds later, and they were sitting in a nice comfy car as it drove itself down the road. Much like the bus, only far more comfortable. And would definitely attract attention, if seen. Made of his power, it wasn't exactly a plain, ordinary looking vehicle, which made the use of it fairly limited.

She hoped that it would at least get them closer to Brockton Bay.

“You're sure about this?” he asked.

She glanced at him. “What?”

“Going to these people? What if they're just like everyone else?”

“They're not. They've helped others. Taken in others. Grown in the past few months. You've seen what they've done on the news.”

“Yeah, I have. And I'm slightly concerned you didn't see who was standing behind them the entire time. The PRT has their hands all over New Wave. If they're really calling the shots, then... then who knows what will happen to us.”

She reached over and took his hand. “Nothing. Because they're not. I don't know how I know, but I just do; they're not with the PRT, and once we make our case, and they see what we can do, they'll let us join. I'm sure of it.”

“I'd still rather join some villains. They seem more our type.”

“Brockton Bay has basically eliminated all of their villains. If not by the power of New Wave, then by the power of intimidation. All the other groups that didn't get their asses kicked left the city. Think about it. If they can literally stop the S9 by killing them—the entire team—right after stopping a fucking Endbringer, almost by themselves, do you really think it'll be too much longer before some teleporting cape comes along, joins up with their 'strong arm' side, and they begin taking on villain teams in other cities? Besides, they seem to actually be doing some good. It will be nice, to do something good in our lives for a change. Don't you think?”

He sighed, and squeezed her hand. “I hope you're right, sis. I really do.”

_Me too,_ she thought, looking out the window at the dark road rolling by before them. _Cause if I'm wrong, I've killed us._

 

* * * * * * *

 

Warren glanced at the drink in his hand, and raised it to his lips, tipping it back and taking it in one go. It burned on the way down—that was how he knew it was good liquor. He growled his approval, and tapped the glass on the counter. “Another please. On the rocks, this time.”

The bartender, a cute girl with a button nose, her blond hair done in a short pixie cut that accented the angles of her face, wearing a sexy black top that showed just enough cleavage and ended just shy enough of her belly button to be classy without being slutty, shot him a smile, and winked. “Sure thing.” She turned her back, and her admired her bottom in her tight jeans until she turned back around, catching his eyes still traveling back north. She set his drink on the counter before him, the whiskey swirling around the large round chunk of ice in the glass this time. “What's your story?” she asked.

Warren looked at her for a moment, and gave her a smile. “You watch the news recently?” he let his voice be natural, rough. She seemed to like it. She nodded. “You know those capes, that took down the S9? New Wave?” Another nod. “I'm one of em,” he said, tapping his chest, and then shot his drink again.

She bit her lip, then smiled a little, and tipped the bottle over his glass, filling it again. “Your drinks are on the house tonight.” She glanced around. The bar was mostly empty, just a few couples here and there tucked into dark corners. Giggles and whispers drifted out of them periodically, which lead Warren to believe there was a little action going on in those corners. “Which one?”

“Morkulv,” he responded, and thumbed off his projector for a moment. She merely looked him over, her eyes pausing on his groin. “Like what you see?” he rumbled.

“Maybe I do,” she said. “Seems taboo. Like...”

“Like you'd be getting fucked by a dog?” he said, rather bluntly, and shot the drink. The ice clinked in the glass as he set it down, placing his hand over the top for a moment, to block another quick refill.

“Yeah,” she admitted, her cheeks pink.

“You have someone that can watch the bar for a few?” he growled.

She grinned widely, and nodded. She went into the back, and came back a moment later, leading another girl out. Then she came around to his side...

A few minutes later, and she was pressing her ass back into his groin, panting and moaning as his large cock stretched her small pussy, slowly sliding into her tight little entrance. She was small, and amazingly tight. She put both her hands on the sink before her to brace herself, and shoved her ass back against him a little harder, taking him in a little more. Her pants and hot blue panties were around her thighs, her shirt and bra pulled up over her breasts, his large hands running up and down her slender smooth back, caressing her hips and bottom, rolling her breasts...

She moaned as his legs met the backs of her smooth thighs, each marked with a tattoo of a ribbon just under her ass, his cock fully embedded in her tight little body. “Oh fuck,” she groaned. “So big... fuck me.”

He complied, drawing his cock out, then pushing it back in quick and hard, setting a rough and fast rhythm, pounding her soft behind, making her moan and cry out periodically.

But something was missing. Something was off. While she panted, moaned, and eventually came, again and again on his hard cock, her wet cum running down her thighs until she passed out, still bent over the sink. He pulled out of her then, slowly, and stroked his cock for a moment, feeling her slick essence coating his length, and eyed her slim, sexy form. She was definitely an attractive girl, and an excellent fuck, but his heart just wasn't in it, and he couldn't quite place why. After a moment, his erection softened, and he tucked himself away, then touched her back, rousing her with his medical power, and bringing her around. She blinked, and stood, smiling at him as she reached down and slowly pulled her panties up, then her pants.

“Good?” she asked softly.

He nodded. “Good.”

“You'll come back again, yeah?”

He gave her a little lop-sided smile, and nodded. “Yeah.” But he wouldn't. She licked her lips, and pressed a kiss to his hairy cheek, then slipped out of the washroom, going back to her job. He waited a few minutes, then followed. He tossed some cash on the counter to pay for his drinks—about twice their worth, but she was a nice girl, and he couldn't resist giving her a little tip for the fun—and slipped out of the bar all together.

As soon as he was outside, he took to the air, coasting through the sky, trying to sort out his thoughts. Things were exactly the same as they had been a couple of days before, but felt entirely different, and he couldn't truly place exactly why that was. So Kelsey knew about her past now. So she had found a way around his block, without even knowing about it. Why did that unnerve him? What really had changed? He had known about their past the entire time, and still things were progressing in such a different manner he had no idea what to expect next anymore.

Most villains (there were still a few scattered about) had fled Brockton Bay after New Wave's decisive victory over the S9 in San Francisco. Those that hadn't then, but still had some brains, definitely had after Leviathan. And now the S9 was no more; villains in general had begun to steer well clear of “New Wave Territory” for fear of facing the same fates, or worse, spending the rest of their days in the Birdcage. He didn't even know if Coil was still a presence in the city. He had no idea what was coming, what to expect, and it certainly wasn't that which bothered him. He never had before in his normal life either.

Things between him and the girls were fine. He was still okay with everyone on the team, and by this point in time, he hoped even the conflict between Rachel and Kelsey had come to an end. Victoria's death had indeed him him rather hard, but he had handled that in his own way, and was glad to see even Amy was finding her own place in the wake of her death. He coasted over the city, looking down at the lights laid out below him, then let his eyes close for a moment, and merely drifted, trying to think, to focus, to center himself.

He needed to find himself here and now, before he found himself lost in a battle, with others counting on him.

 

* * * * * * *

 

I bit my lip hard, looking up from the forum posting I had been reading on my laptop, and looked at Amy, sitting across from me and Missy on the other side of the couch, watching the movie with a slightly phased-out look on her face. “Amy...” I said softly. She turned to look at me, blinking a couple of times. “I was wondering...” my cheeks flamed red, and I turned the laptop, lifting it to her. “I was wondering if you could do... something like this?”

She looked over the screen, which read:

 

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♦ **Topic: What if...**

 

**xxterminus1981** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Posted on June 19, 2016:

 

Hey guys, I was just thinking about something, and I wanted to bounce something off of you. Before I start, however, I want to make sure you all know that I'm by no means a pervert or the like, but hey, in real life, who hasn't thought of at least something like this at least once, amirite??

So. Here's the thing. I know Panacea from New Wave has some pretty spectacular healing powers, but from the sound of the wiki on what she can do, it seems like she also has the ability to form biological... changes? I don't know the proper words. Anyway. Wouldn't she be able to like, change a dude into a chick, really easy? Or vica-versa?

 

**(Showing Page 1 of 2)**

► **SlightlyMagical32** (Moderator)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

You might be on to something here, xxterminus1981. I cannot speak personally for Panacea, but I looked over the wiki really quick after reading this, and I think you may be right. The words you were looking for would be biological modifications, or bio-metamorphosis, by the way.

 

PS - I don't think you're a pervert, but I can see where this post may head in the long run. Let's keep it clean, people.

 

► **SizzlyFro** (Cape Groupie)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

I don't know Panacea personally, but I can imagine this to be accurate. While I've only seen her at a distance, I have seen her work before, and during her time there are many marked cases of her medical miracles. It was her that helped Twilight and Morkulv defeat the plague, after all.

 

► **xxterminus1981** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Thanks, SlightlyMagical, for the support. I just got to thinking and had to see what some others thought! If she could do those things, imagine what else she may be able to do with the bio...stuff you said!

 

► **Fanfest2016ivy** (Power Guru)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Knowing Panacea personally, I can say without any doubt this is 100% accurate. I've seen her do some amazing things from time to time, and being able to change or adapt someone's body is not only inside the realm of possibility but is essentially how her power functions. She doesn't necessarily "heal" a wound, as you would think about the wound healing up, but rather just modifies the body in such a way that it makes the wound cease to exist. IE - if someone were to have a deep gash in their arm, she would simply cause the limb to regrow the "cut" material, filling in the gash.

 

► **sunnysideup4** (Veteran Member)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

This is a fascinating discussion. Without trying to be too vulgar (sorry SlightlyMagical if I cross any lines, feel free to remove the post, but it's a genuine question), does anyone know if instead of a full change, Panacea would be able to do a temporary morph of someone's anatomy? This may sound cliche, but think about what it could mean for studies throughout history if men were able to experience the true pains of childbirth because she was able to swap their genitals, or something much the same?

 

► **SlightlyMagical** (Moderator)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Keeping an eye on this, don't want it to get out of hand, but I'll allow it.

 

► **twistedbagels** (Cape Groupie)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Thanks SM - good to see a moderator not censoring unnecessarily.

 

I think the question raised is intriguing to say the least - what if Panacea can do that? Pardon the crudeness, but being able to make a girl a guy for all intents and purposes for even a day would be awesome on one hand, but it begs the morality question.

 

► **skepticalsundays02** (Cape Groupie)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Let's not get politically correct on this. For one thing, there's no need to bring morality into the issue. We've all seen Panacea and she's even healed some of our loved ones. She works for the common good. Even asking about the morality of it is asking about her morality, and until she gives us reason to think otherwise, she's got my vote of confidence and support.

 

► **Fanfest2016ivy** (Power Guru)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Panacea is as moral and honorable as any member of the New Wave. She has never once abused her powers and I do not believe it in her character to do so.

 

► **xxterminus1981** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

I didn't mean to ever call into question Panacea's morality or anything of the sort. I was just trying to think of some of the maybe less obvious uses of her powers that could help benefit people.

**End of Page. 1**

 

**(Showing Page 2 of 2)**

 

► **twistedbagels** (Cape Groupie)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

New Wave is notoriously only loyal to their own ideal of justice. As they are not an official branch of the PRT, it is perfectly reasonable to question the effects that her using this power on others might have. If New Wave were to apprehend a criminal, it falls on them to turn them over to the PRT for legal prosecution. But if they have in their ranks the ability to take in a criminal and change that person so they're a different person....? Think about it. I don't mean to insult the character of Panacea, I just think the entire picture needs to be looked at.

 

► **Twilight** (New Wave)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Hello, guys. Mind if I weigh in?

 

As some of you may know, I'm rather close to Amy (Panacea) and I know for a fact that she is above such reprehensible acts such as what was suggested by the previous poster. I mean no offense to you, but your speculation could be better served elsewhere. We in New Wave have done nothing outside of the law, and acted only in the public's best interest and for the protection of all. You included.

As for the original question, even thought I'm rather close to Amy, I cannot say exactly how her power works. Until recently, I had rather pressing concerns of a different nature on my mind. I would imagine and guess that it would be entirely possible, and may even suggest to her the use of her powers for some research.

 

► **skepticalsundays** (Cape Groupie)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Oh, wow, Twilight herself. HELLO!

 

I haven't seen you on the forums before. You should PM me sometime so we can chat.

 

► **xxterminus1981** (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Thanks Twilight for the response! Love to hear from someone close to her in the know!

 

I apologize if this is a personal question, but has Panacea ever used her power on you? Can you validate what Fanfest2016ivy said about how it works?

 

► **Twilight** (New Wave)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Hello! I'm sorry, but I'm not accepting any PMs at this time, my plate is rather full!

 

xxterminus1981, yes she has, and to be perfectly honest, I'm not certain. I wasn't conscious at the time, and was nearly dead. Even good guys get hurt sometimes!

 

► **JealousRubies** (Veteran Member)

Replied on June 19, 2016:

Oh, wow. Sorry to hear about that Twilight.

Personally, I just want to know if Panacea would be able to help with the "chicks with dicks" porn sites.

**End of Page 2**

 

Amy read it, and got to the last page, and broke out in giggles. “Which part?” she asked, trying to contain her giggles and failing. “The healing part or the 'chicks with dicks' part?”

I blushed really hot then, and she caught the flaming heat in my cheeks, and her giggles intensified.

“I think I can guess!” she snorted, and fell on her side, laughing harder.

Missy gave me a strange look. “What's with her?”

“I uh...” I trailed off, looking for some type of response.

“She asked me if I can make girls have dicks,” Amy giggled, and Missy's eyes widened.

“Whoa. Can you?”

Amy laughed anew, and then nodded. “Yes, actually. I could. Easily.”

“Could you give me one?” Missy asked, raising her eyebrow. “Or Kelsey?”

Amy looked between us, her giggles finally fading. “Wait. Serious question?”

Missy nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Amy blinked a few times, then sat up a little bit. “Well. Yes, I could. But would you really want one?”

“If it was temporary, it might be... fun...” I said slowly.

Missy nodded with a grin. “Like a strap-on, only real.”

Amy blinked. “I hadn't thought of it like that.” She paused again, then frowned slightly. “Now I kind of wish I could give myself one, so I could try it...”

“What if I promised to use it on you?” Missy asked. I nudged her side. “I mean we. We could both use it on you. At the same time, even.”

Amy looked around. “What about Lisa?”

“Lisa's at her meeting. She won't be home for a few more hours, and then, maybe we can give one to her to use on me,” I said, my cheeks heating at the thought of Lisa crawling on top of me, kissing my mouth so softly like only she could, and sliding a warm soft cock that was all _her_ inside of me. My mouth almost watered at the thought, and I felt a familiar clenching in my lower abdomen.

“And you both want to... use them on me?” Amy asked, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. I saw the way her breathing almost caught as well, the way she subtly pressed her chest out, the way her arousal was slipping over her. She was getting into the idea, I could tell. I stood, and motioned for Missy to stand next to me. I wasn't sure if I was surprised, disappointed, or relieved that she was less than an inch shorter than me, and Lisa remained about an inch or so taller than me, despite the changes. My breasts were still small, but more mature, softer... I pulled my top off over my head. I hadn't bothered with a bra today, and neither had Missy as she pulled hers off as well. I unsnapped the button to my denim shorts, and slipped the zipper down about halfway, the top flaps of my shorts falling open a little bit to reveal the pink lace underneath. I noted Amy's eyes were already locked on the small glimpse, and smiled a bit.

“If you want us to,” I replied, stepping over to her with a certain sway of my hips that made the shorts drop a bit. Missy, behind me now, reached around my waist, sliding her palms along my smooth flat belly, then down, pushing the shorts over my hips so they dropped to my feet. I stepped out of them, kneeling on the couch, straddling Amy's lap. Her eyes ran up my body until they met my own, and I sat down on her thighs, leaning forward and kissing her.

Her eyes closed as a little shiver ran through her, her tongue touching my lips softly. I opened to it, invited it in, curled my tongue around hers, sucking on it, pressing my body into hers a little more forcefully. When we parted, Missy turned her head to the side, and then kissed her as well, tilting her head back. I leaned a little lower, kissing the nape of her neck, then licking a trail up to her ear, nibbling on her earlobe gently while Missy thoroughly tongued her mouth. Amy gave a little whimper under me, and her hands came to rest on my bottom, pulling me closer to her. While still kissing Missy, I whispered in her ear, “Do you want me to fuck you?”

She gave a little moan, and a tiny nod, not letting the kiss end.

I smiled, and licked her ear. “Do you want to suck my cock?” I asked, reaching between us, squeezing her breast. She responded with another, little longer nod. My hand slid lower down between us, cupping her groin through her clothing. “Want me to fuck you here, too?” I asked, before running my tongue around her ear then sucking her earlobe into my mouth, playing with it...

She groaned, and finally parted her kiss with Missy. “I need to be able to focus for a moment... how about we all get undressed first?” she said breathlessly. I smiled, and stood up, quickly peeling my panties down and off, then helped Amy out of her clothes while Missy stripped out of her shorts and panties in one quick motion. Amy bit her lip, having us stand side-by-side in front of her, she ran a hand down each of our bellies, until she found our sexes, both of us wet, willing, ready, a gasp escaping my lips as she ground my clit with her thumb and easily pushed a finger up inside of me briefly before withdrawing it, cupping the mound...

I felt a weird tingling sensation, and suddenly, her hand was being pushed back, and a new set of sensations and feelings rolled through me. I glanced down in weird fascination as a smooth cock grew from between my legs, about eight inches long. Amy wrapped her hand around it as it finished, and gave it a little squeeze, and my knees nearly buckled. “Holy shit,” I gasped.

Amy smirked up at me, then ran her fingers along underneath the shaft, and my eyes widened again as I felt her fingers once again slide into my extremely wet pussy. “Thought you might like seeing what both could feel like,” she said softly, her cheeks a little pink as she fingered me. Missy was in a similar situation, grabbing my arm to stay upright as Amy slowly rolled her other hand up and down her girlcock, her mouth hanging open.

“No wonder guys want us to play with these all the time, if this is how it feels,” Missy muttered.

I reached down, and idly stroked myself while Amy's fingers continued to slide in and out of my tight opening. “Holy shit,” I gasped.

Amy gave us both a little smile. “I made them feel as realistic as possible, so yeah, that's about what guys feel. Of course, since you guys didn't lose the other bits... all it really is is added pleasure to your sexual experiences.”

I reached down and pulled her to her feet, her fingers and hand never loosing contact with either of us as she rose smoothly, and pulled her into a kiss, pressing tightly against her, feeling her breasts press into my own, the soft contours of her body aligning seamlessly with mine. Her tongue coaxed mine into her mouth, where she sucked on it briefly, before slowly drawing her fingers out of my pussy, and trailing the wet tips of said fingers up the underside of my girlcock, making it jump in anticipation. I gasped a little as she stepped back, then dropped to her knees before the both of us, pulling us to stand with our hips touching, angled away from one another just enough so she had enough space to kneel between us.

I looked down at her, running my fingers through her hair gently, as she wrapped her fist around my cock and gently squeezed it, then leaned forward and gave it a long slow lick. I shuddered at the warm, wet sensation of her tongue gliding across the cock, and my knees nearly buckled when she sucked the head into her hot wet little mouth, running her tongue around the head.

Missy kissed me, running one hand up my belly to cup a breast, and I returned the attention, finding her small nipples with my fingers, tweaking and rubbing them gently. She moaned into my mouth as Amy switched from my cock to hers, taking hers into her mouth, and whimpered softly as Amy gently sucked and licked on her.

Amy switched back to me, taking me farther into her mouth, and my hips pushed forward on their own accord, eager to bury my entire length into her wet, tight throat. She coughed a little as I hit the back of her throat, then relaxed and swallowed my cock down, deepthroating my smooth shaft, swallowing constantly around the thick length. I gasped and kissed Missy harder, driving my tongue into her mouth like my cock drove into Amy's mouth below.

Amy pulled off, and repeated the process on Missy, making her wobble so badly I had to hold her upright, still kissing and touching her, my hands running all over her breasts and smooth tummy, over her hips and round bottom, caressing every inch of her I could reach. Amy rocked back on her heels, then rose smoothly. Missy was first, pulling her clothes off, but I was close behind, and in record time Amy was completely nude before us, her clothes laying in a haphazard pile all around the three of us.

Amy dropped to her hands and knees, pointing her round bottom at me, and I went to my knees behind her, running a hand over her hip, squeezing her cheek. Without even thinking about it, I was leaning down, my tongue running from her clit all the way to the top of her bottom, then back down, making her shiver and moan as I licked both of her holes, wiggling my tongue into each one, then sucked her clit into my mouth and rolled it between my teeth gently, making her back arch and her thighs spread wider.

“Fuck me,” she panted, looking back at me over her shoulder. I wiggled my tongue into her pussy, and she shook her head. I licked upwards, towards her other hole, and wiggled my tongue into that hole as well. She moaned and pushed her bottom back against me, but still shook her head. “ _Fuck_ me,” she insisted. Missy stroked her cheek, gently turning her to face her rigid and erect cock before her. Amy opened her mouth, and Missy slid it inside, her head falling back as she placed both hands on Amy's head, guiding her slow motions up and down.

I straightened up behind Amy, and took my cock in one hand, guiding it to the tight little pussy before it. I rubbed it up and down briefly, getting the head nice and wet with her juices, which were flowing quite freely now, then pushed in, all the way, sinking into her searing hot tunnel with one thrust. She cried out, as I did, the velvet grip of her exquisite pussy filling my mind as I bottomed out inside of her. She moaned around Missy's cock in her mouth, and I pulled back, the sweet dragging sensation making me nearly insane.

“Holy fuck Missy...” I panted, thrusting back in, my thighs slapping against Amy's. I looked down at her bottom, cradled by my hips, and could just see her lips splayed open around my shaft as it was buried to the hilt inside of her. Right then I knew I wanted something inside of me as well. I pushed down on Amy, dragging her off of Missy's cock, and put a pillow under her hips, so she was laying on her chest with only her hips propped up. I laid over her back, kissing and licking her neck. She craned her head around so I could kiss her as Missy moved around behind me, taking the hint. With my knees, I pushed Amy's legs open more, spreading my own wide open as I knelt over Amy's upturned ass, my cock still buried in her tight pussy, twitching as I imagined fucking her hard and fast while waiting for Missy.

She kissed my back, rubbing my bottom, and ran two fingers over my lips. Then her fingers, wet with my own juices, were brought up before my face. “See how wet you are?” Missy asked, and I sucked her fingers into my mouth, cleaning each one, swirling my tongue around each digit, sucking them, caressing them... her girlcock poked my bottom, then I felt it move down, pressing between my lips, and she whimpered as she felt the heat and wetness of my pussy as it began to push inside. “Sorry love, I can't help it, I need to...” she began, then her hips bucked, and she was inside, all the way, buried in me so deep. I pushed back into her, drawing my cock out of Amy a little, then thrust back into her under me as Missy pulled back, gripping my hips tightly as her hips bucked and jerked. “I can't help it, it's so fucking good,” she gasped and moaned, pushing into me over and over.

“I'm not going to break,” I got out, as I slammed my hips into Amy's, making her bottom jiggle in a most delightful way. “Harder.”

Missy gave me exactly what I asked for, slamming into me harder and harder, crying out, her fingers digging into my hips almost desperately as she hammered away at me, while I pounded into Amy, who rocked and moaned beneath me. She came quickly, her pussy spasming and tightening around me. I felt my own orgasm rapidly coming, with double the stimulation, and grit my teeth, holding it off as long as I could, reveling in the sensation of my cock buried in the wet tight sheath beneath me while my pussy was filled with Missy's hard cock, bumping against my cervix with every thrust, filling me completely, stretching me in a way that made me pant and buck and want more...

When Amy came for a second time under me, I couldn't hold it back anymore. Her rippling, gripping pussy pushed me over the edge, and I cried out loudly as I slammed my cock deep inside of her and came. I felt the cum rushing through my cock, spurting into her in hot, quick spurts, and felt Missy bite my shoulder as she groaned, my pussy clenching and tightening on her cock. But she wasn't done yet. I collasped onto Amy's back, and Missy drew back, thrusting in rapidly several more times before I felt her cock explode inside of me, and again she bit my shoulder, whimpering and moaning as she came, and came hard. I giggled a little as she fell off, rolling to the side, and I followed suit, rolling off of Amy. My cock slipped out of her with a little wet sound, and she turned her head to look at me with a silly happy smile on her face.

“That was wonderful,” she breathed.

I brushed some of her hair out of her face, and kissed her gently. “I agree,” I whispered. “We'll have to do this again. A lot.”

 


End file.
